.2.2.  .Zo. 
LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 

PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


Presented  by 


ThA .  cI.T?vtcVm&  Sta&b  ^"d.-d. 


Division.  J&SlSL  A  2-,  I 

Section 


THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 


/ 


THE  JOYFUL  HOURS 
OF  JESUS 


BY 


J.  GIBSON  LOWRIE,  D.D. 


JUL 


1920 


A 


%^!GAL  %l*$£ 


"  In  that  hour  Jesus  rejoiced  in  spirit." — Luke  x  :  21. 

"  Looking  unto  Jesus,  .  .  .  who,  for  the  joy  that  was 
set  before  Him,  endured  the  cross,  despising  the  shame,  and 
is  set  down  at  the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of  God. — 
Hebrews  xii :  2. 


New  York 


Chicago 


Fleming   H.   Revell  Company 


London 


AND 


Edinburgh 


Copyright,  1918,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  17  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:      75    Princes    Street 


To  all  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
especially  to  the  churches  I  have  served  in  the 
Gospel  ministry,  this  little  volume  is  dedicated. 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 

THE  volume  here  submitted  to  the  public 
presents  the  brighter  aspects  of  our  Lord's 
life  and  ministry.  Though  not  specifically 
connected,  nor  progressively  developed,  the  various 
chapters  of  the  book  have  a  unity  of  theme,  in  that 
they  all  have  to  do  with  His  gladdening  life-work. 
It  is  the  hope  of  the  Author  that  the  friends  of 
our  blessed  Master  will  welcome  this  humble  effort 
to  call  attention  to  His  "  Joyful  Hours,"  and  that 
because  of  it  some  weary  souls  may  "  with  joy 
draw  water  out  of  the  wells  of  salvation." 

J.  G.  L. 

Galesburg,  III. 


CONTENTS 

I  Elements  of  Happiness  in  Jesus' 

Life 

II  Foregleams  of  Rejoicing 

III  A  Gladdening  Life-Work 

IV  Joy  at  the  Well-Side 
V  Food  that  Satisfies 

VI  Glad  Tidings  at  Nazareth    . 

VII  In  the  Holy  Mount 

VIII  Spiritual  Blessings  Recognized 

IX  Forgiven  and  Loving  Much   . 

X  Anointed  at  Bethany    . 

XI  Our  Lord's  Spiritual  Family 

XII  That  Good  Part 

XIII  The  Crowning  Satisfaction 

XIV  Hearts  Aflame 


ii 
28 

43 
58 
69 
80 

94 
108 
123 

137 
151 
165 
176 

189 


ELEMENTS  OF  HAPPINESS  IN 
JESUS'  LIFE 

THE  Bible  speaks  of  the  joyful  hours  of 
Jesus:  but  its  utterances  on  this  delight- 
ful theme  have  been  strangely  neglected. 
Expositors  and  teachers  have  dwelt  almost  exclu- 
sively upon  the  sufferings  of  Christ.  To  the 
Church  in  all  ages  He  has  been  pre-eminently  "  a 
Man  of  Sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief."  We 
do  not  wonder  at  this,  for  His  sufferings  were  very 
real,  and  at  the  close  of  His  life  unparalleled :  and 
upon  His  painful  death  are  based  our  hopes  of 
salvation. 

Beside  this,  it  was  natural  that  the  martyr 
Church  of  the  first  Christian  centuries  should 
emphasize  the  sufferings  of  her  head,  since  thus 
she  derived  sympathy  in  her  trials  and  consoled 
herself  with  the  thought  that  she  was  "  filling  up 
that  which  is  behind  of  the  afflictions  of  Christ " 
(Col.  i :  24).  It  was  literally  through  much  tribu- 
lation that  the  early  Christians  entered  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  What  wonder  that  they 
dwelt   much    upon   the    sorrows    of    their    Lord, 

11 


12      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

feeling  that  the  disciple  was  not  above  his  Master ! 
What  wonder  that  the  Cross  threw  its  dark  shadow 
not  only  over  the  closing  scenes  of  His  career,  but 
over  His  entire  Life! 

A  celebrated  letter  from  Publius  Lentulus  to  the 
Roman  Senate  gives  a  description  of  the  person  of 
our  Savior.  Among  other  things  it  says  of  Him, 
"  He  was  never  seen  to  smile,  but  oftentimes  to 
weep."  The  letter  is  undoubtedly  spurious;  and 
may  not  be  earlier  than  the  Fourth  Century,  yet 
it  reflects  the  current  conception  of  the  early 
Church — a  conception  that  has  not  died  out  of  the 
world. 

While  holding  all  that  is  vital  as  to  the  sufferings 
of  Christ,  we  may  form  a  saner  judgment  of  His 
life  as  a  whole  by  looking  upon  the  bright  side  of 
the  picture.  His  life  was  not  all  gloom.  He  was 
foretold  as  One  who  should  give  "  the  oil  of  joy 
for  mourning,  the  garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit 
of  heaviness"  (Isa.  lxi:3).  He  bade  His  dis- 
ciples, even  in  the  hour  of  their  tribulations,  to 
"  rejoice  and  leap  for  joy."  His  final  blessing 
was  that  His  joy  might  remain  in  them  and  that 
their  joy  might  be  full.  We  are  told  that  He  took 
little  children  in  His  arms  and  blessed  them. 
Surely  it  was  only  a  countenance  beaming  with 
unaffected  gladness  that  would  win  them  to  nestle 
contentedly  in  His  bosom. 

What  were  the  elements  of  happiness  in  the  life 
of  our  Lord? 


ELEMENTS  OF  HAPPINESS  IN  JESUS     13 

What  were  some  of  the  joyful  hours  of  Jesus 
upon  the  earth? 

These  are  the  questions  we  aim  now  to  discuss. 

Let  us  say  at  the  outset  that  we  have  every 
reason  to  believe  in  the  happy  boyhood  of  Jesus. 
As  Stier  has  beautifully  said,  we  have  but  a  "  soli- 
tary floweret  out  of  the  wonderful  inclosed  garden 
of  the  thirty  years."  After  His  infancy,  the  scene 
in  the  Temple  is  the  only  one  that  is  accorded  us  of 
the  early  years  of  our  Lord's  life.  And  a  single 
word,  dropped  by  one  of  the  Evangelists,  is  all 
the  authoritative  information  we  possess  as  to  how 
these  early  years  were  spent.  Mark  calls  Him 
"  the  Carpenter."  A  humble  avocation  was  His, 
and  a  life  of  seclusion  and  toil,  and  even  poverty 
is  suggested  by  it. 

But  we  have  no  reason  to  think  that  it  was  any 
other  than  a  very  happy  life.  When  we  reflect 
how  much  man's  happiness  depends  upon  labor 
we  cannot  look  upon  this  period  of  our  Lord's 
life  with  regret.  He  has  forever  dignified  the 
lowliest  toil  by  becoming  a  carpenter  of  Galilee. 
As  truly  then  as  in  later ,  years,  when  busied 
with  far  different  labors,  He  could  say,  "  My 
Father  worketh  hitherto,  and  I  work "  (John 
v:i7). 

We  are  not  to  think  He  was  only  a.  carpenter  in 
His  Galilean  home.  There  was  much  that  Jesus 
began  to  do  before  He  began  to  teach,  and  even 


14      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

in  these  early  years  His  Father's  business  was 
never  absent  from  His  thoughts. 

But  whatever  were  His  employments,  before  He 
began  His  active  ministry,  we  have  no  reason  to 
think  He  was  burdened  with  sorrow.  Nazareth 
was  not  indeed  a  Paradise.  Its  inhabitants  were 
rude  and  uncultured;  their  lives  were  narrow  and 
circumscribed;  they  had  their  deep  prejudices; 
and  later  rejected  Jesus  in  the  meridian  of  His 
power.  Nevertheless,  Nazareth  was  a  safe  retreat 
which  the  fierce  storms  of  the  outer  world  did  not 
disturb,  and  where  He  who  was  "  to  destroy  the 
works  of  the  devil  "  had  opportunity  to  prepare 
for  the  conflict  and  "  gird  His  sword  upon  His 
thigh"  (Ps.  xlv:3). 

In  its  quiet  seclusion  He  was  not  brought  directly 
into  contact  with  the  passions,  strifes  and  tumults 
of  men  which  made  the  brief  season  of  His  active 
ministry  so  stormy,  and  which  so  often  stirred  His 
pure  nature  to  its  lowest  depths  with  holy  anger 
and  righteous  indignation.  And  though  Nazareth 
had  no  immunity  from  sickness  and  death,  yet  not 
there,  as  in  after  years,  did  he  assume  that  He 
might  bear  the  infirmities  of  the  multitude. 
Doubtless  He  never  even  witnessed  at  Nazareth 
many  of  the  maladies  of  men  His  power  was  after- 
wards present  to  heal. 

What  were  the  occupations  of  His  boyhood,  out- 
side of  the  little  shop  of  Joseph?  We  have  only 
the  general  statement  that  He  "  increased  in 
wisdom    and    stature,    and    in    favor    with    God 


ELEMENTS  OF  HArPINESS  IN  JESUS      15 

and  man"  (Luke  xi:52).  We  have  no  reason 
to  think  His  was  a  different  life  from  that  of  His 
boyhood  acquaintances,  save  in  the  fact  that 
"  He  knew  no  sin."  He  must  have  prattled  in  in- 
nocent glee  at  His  mother's  side,  like  other  babies. 
He  must  have  joined  in  the  healthful  sports  of  His 
boyhood  companions.  We  are  told  that  in  His 
active  ministry  there  was  a  "  disciple  whom  Jesus 
loved"  (John  xx:2).  Was  there  no  boy  friend 
whom  Jesus  loved,  as  in  after  years  He  came  to 
love  John  ?  We  do  not  know ;  but  we  cannot  but 
believe  He  knew  the  joys  of  intimate  friendships 
even  in  childhood  and  that  His  holy  influence  fell 
as  a  benediction  upon  some  youthful  companions 
who  were  quickened  by  it  into  spiritual  life.  A 
poet  has  said, 

"  Heaven  lies  about  us  in  our  infancy." 

What  an  atmosphere  of  beauty  and  joy  must 
have  ever  surrounded  the  wonderful  boy  whose 
thoughts  were  pure,  whose  spirit  was  in  com- 
munion with  God  and  whose  delight  was  in  doing 
the  will  of  His  Heavenly  Father !  What  a  heaven 
earth  would  soon  become  were  every  child  like  the 
"holy  child  Jesus!" 

Perfect  physical  health  contributed,  in  no  small 
measure,  to  the  happiness  of  our  Lord.  There  is 
no  evidence  that  He  was  ever  sick.  There  is  much 
to  indicate  that  He  possessed  a  sound  and  health- 
ful body.  He  lived  the  simple  life.  He  was  much 
in  the  open  air.     He  was  temperate  in  all  things. 


16      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

He  possessed  a  tranquil  mind.  He  held  empire 
over  his  passions.  He  conformed  to  all  the  laws 
of  physical  well-being.  We  may  believe  no  body 
was  ever  so  fit  as  His  to  be,  because  of  its  physical 
perfection,  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

No  body  enfeebled  by  disease,  unless  sustained 
by  constant  miracle,  could  have  endured  the  strain 
of  His  extraordinary  labors  during  His  active 
ministry.  The  Evangelical  Seer  had  indeed  said 
of  Him,  as  he  beheld  Him  afar  off  in  vision,  "  We 
did  esteem  Him  stricken,  smitten  of  God  and  af- 
flicted "  (Isaiah  iii:4).  But  the  Evangelist  Mat- 
thew applies  Isaiah's  description  directly  to  Christ's 
ministry  of  healing.  "  He  cast  out  the  spirits 
with  His  word  and  healed  all  that  were  sick ;  that  it 
might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by  Esaias  the 
prophet  saying,  Himself  took  our  infirmities  and 
bare  our  sicknesses  "  (Matt,  viii:  17). 

It  is  indeed  true  that  many  disciples  of  Christ 
have  lived  happy  lives  whose  bodies  have  been  smit- 
ten with  disease  and  filled  with  pain :  but  they  have 
been  happy  in  spite  of  physical  sufferings  and  not 
because  of  them;  and  their  happiness  would  have 
been  greater  had  they  each  possessed  "  a  sound 
mind  in  a  sound  body." 

And  the  mind  of  Jesus,  no  less  than  His  body, 
contributed  to  His  enjoyment  of  life.  His  was  the 
gift  of  genius,  without  those  irregularities  and 
peculiarities  of  temper  that  we  are  compelled  so 
often  to  associate  with  the  word. 


ELEMENTS  OF  HAPPINESS  IN  JESUS      17 

The  inner  kingdom  of  His  lofty  spirit  was  al- 
ways under  the  control  of  His  will.  His  intellectual 
powers  were  unimpaired  by  indulgence  and  never 
suffered  because  of  internal  derangement.  His 
mind  fed  upon  Truth.  It  obeyed  the  laws  of 
thought.  It  had  capacities  for  happiness  unknown 
to  those  who  walked  not  upon  the  heights  He  trod. 

His  out-of-door  life  and  his  bodily  and  mental 
vigor  opened  to  Him  another  and  deep  source  of 
happiness  in  the  enjoyment  of  nature.  We  are 
told  "The  Lord  shall  rejoice  in  his  works"  (Ps. 
civ :  31 ).  Surely  then,  even  in  His  humiliation,  He 
by  whom  God  made  the  worlds  (Heb.  1:2)  re- 
joiced in  the  works  of  creation.  The  most  ele- 
vated souls  have  the  keenest  appreciation  of  the 
beauties  of  the  outer  world.  How  then  must  na- 
ture have  appealed  to  the  lofty  mind  of  Jesus! 
The  enchanting  beauty  of  His  Galilean  home  must 
have  often  refreshed  His  spirit  and  awakened 
pleasurable  emotions  far  transcending  those  of  sin- 
ful men.  When  disappointed  and  depressed  in 
His  contact  with  the  dull  minds  and  evil  tempers 
of  His  fellow  townsmen  how  often  did  nature 
greet  Him  with  "  a  smile  and  eloquence  of  beauty  " 
and  how  often  did  He  find  in  her  "  a  mild  and  heal- 
ing sympathy." 

Speaking  of  the  scenery  around  Nazareth  Dean 
Farrar  says :  "  The  view  from  this  spot  would  in 
any  country  be  regarded  as  extraordinarily  rich  and 
lovely:  but  it  receives  a  yet  more  indescribable 


18      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

charm  from  our  belief  that  here,  with  His  feet 
among  the  mountain  flowers,  and  the  soft  breeze 
lifting  the  hair  from  His  temples,  Jesus  must  often 
have  watched  the  eagles  poised  in  the  cloudless 
blue,  and  have  gazed  upward  as  He  heard  over- 
head the  rushing  plumes  of  the  long  line  of  peli- 
cans, as  they  winged  their  way  from  the  streams  of 
Kishon  to  the  lake  of  Galilee.  And  what  a  vision 
would  be  outspread  before  Him  as  He  sat  at  spring- 
time on  the  green  and  thyme-besprinkled  turf! 
To  the  north,  Hermon  upheaved  into  the  blue  the 
huge,  splendid  mass  of  his  colossal  shoulder,  white 
with  eternal  snows.  Eastward,  at  a  few  miles 
distance,  rose  the  green  and  rounded  summit  of 
Tabor,  clothed  with  terebinth  and  oak.  To  the 
west  He  would  gaze  through  that  diaphanous  air 
on  the  purple  ridge  of  Carmel — and  the  dazzling 
line  of  white  sand  which  fringes  the  waves  of  the 
Mediterranean,  dotted  here  and  there  with  the 
white  sails  of  the  "  ships  of  Chittim."  South- 
ward, lay  the  entire  plain  of  Esdraelon,  so  memo- 
rable in  the  history  of  Palestine  and  of  the  world, 
green  as  a  pavement  of  emeralds,  rich  with  its 
gleams  of  vivid  sunlight,  and  the  purpling  shadows 
which  floated  over  it  from  the  clouds  of  the  latter 


rain 


»  * 


And  what  wonder  that  Jesus  loved  the  solitudes 
of  Olivet  and  of  Gethsemane?    Not  only  did  the 
Father  meet  Him  there,  but  there  nature  stood, 
*  "  The  Life  of  Christ,"  Vol.  i,  p.  101. 


ELEMENTS  OF  HAPPINESS  IN  JESUS      19 

with  open  volume,  to  delight  His  eye  and  to  feed 
His  ever  expanding  intellect.  What  wonder  that 
the  Great  Teacher  saw  so  many  beautiful  analogies 
between  nature  and  grace,  and  that  He  adorned  the 
lily  of  the  field,  the  hanging  vine,  the  springing 
grass,  the  noble  trees  with  new  beauty  as,  forming 
them  into  a  spiritual  alphabet,  He  made  them  set 
before  us  new  lessons,  which  he  who  runs  may 
read,  of  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God! 

But  our  blessed  Lord,  though  thus  a  lover  of 
nature  and  holding  "  communion  with  her  visible 
forms,"  found  His  chief  "  rejoicing  in  the  habit- 
able part  of  His  earth,  and  His  delights  were  with 
the  sons  of  men"  (Prov.  viii  131).  He  was  not 
like  John  the  Baptist,  a  man  of  the  desert,  austere 
and  abstemious.  He  was  no  ascetic.  "  The  Son 
of  Man  came  eating  and  drinking."  He  was  a 
man  among  men.  His  social  qualities  were 
marked.  His  first  miracle  was  at  a  marriage  feast. 
He  accepted  invitations  from  rich  and  poor  alike. 
He  ate  and  drank  with  publicans  and  sinners.  He 
loved  to  be  with  men,  and  but  for  the  envy,  the 
pride  and  the  selfish  rejection  of  those  He  came 
to  save,  He  would  have  mingled  with  them  more 
freely  than  He  did  and  drawn  them  to  Himself  in 
tender  intimacy.  Alas,  "  He  came  unto  His  own 
(dwelling  place)  and  His  own  (people)  received 
Him  not  (John  i:  2). 

There  was,  however,  a  little  circle  of  friends, 
who  gladdened  the  heart  of  Jesus  by  their  fellow- 


20      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

ship  and  devotion.  His  early  disciples  were  rude 
and  unlettered  men;  but  they  gave  Him  the  love 
His  spirit  craved.  Later,  other  friends  were  won 
by  Him.  "  Jesus  loved  Martha  and  her  sister  and 
Lazarus  "  (John  xj:  5).  He  was  often  refreshed 
by  them  and  many  happy  hours  were  spent  by  Him 
in  the  home  at  Bethany.  That  quiet  retreat  was 
one  of  the  bright  spots  in  our  Lord's  earthly  so- 
journ. Here  He  found,  what  to  the  weary  is  an 
unspeakable  luxury — rest.  And  here  He  surely 
met  what,  amid  the  sordid  multitude  His  spirit 
often  craved  in  vain,  sympathy  and  appreciation. 
"  Martha  received  Him  into  her  house  .  .  .  and 
Mary  ...  sat  at  Jesus'  feet  and  heard  His 
word"  (Luke  x:38,  39).  And  among  His 
apostles  there  was  one  who  was  pre-eminently 
"  that  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved." 

These  friends  of  Jesus,  notwithstanding  all  their 
imperfections  of  character  and  dullness  of  spiritual 
vision,  gave  Him  many  joyful  hours. 

Nor  may  we  forget  that  often  in  His  earthly 
ministry  a  more  congenial  society  was  His.  His 
mission  was  one  in  which  all  heaven  was  deeply 
interested,  and  angels  desired  to  look  into  the  mys- 
teries that  gathered  around  it.  Angels  ministered 
to  Him  in  the  wilderness.  An  angel  was  with  Him 
in  the  garden.  Is  it  too  much  to  assume  that  often, 
during  the  strange  travail  of  His  soul  He  was  sup- 
ported and  cheered  by  their  sympathetic  ministra- 
tions ? 


ELEMENTS  OF  HAPPINESS  IN  JESUS     21 

And  a  higher  communion  still  was  His :  a  source 
of  unfailing,  unalloyed  happiness.  Save  in  one 
supreme  and  awful  hour,  He  could  always  say 
"  The  Father  hath  not  left  Me  alone !  "  (John  viii : 
29).  He  knew,  alas,  how  well,  the  uncertainty  of 
human  friendships;  but  He  knew  One  Friend  on 
whom  He  could  depend !  "  Behold,"  He  cried  to 
His  disciples,  "  the  hour  cometh ;  yea  is  now  come, 
that  ye  shall  be  scattered,  every  man  to  his  own, 
and  shall  leave  Me  alone;  and  yet  I  am  not  alone, 
because  the  Father  is  with  Me  "  (John  xvi :  32). 

The  happiness  that  Jesus  always  found  in  com- 
munion with  God  can  be  but  very  imperfectly  un- 
derstood by  us ;  yet  we  are  very  sure  that  it  was  a 
happiness  far  transcending  that  ever  experienced 
by  any  other  being  on  this  sinful  earth.  And 
there  were  supreme  moments  in  His  life,  when  He 
enjoyed  such  manifestations  of  the  Father's  pres- 
ence as  must  have  filled  His  soul  with  ineffable  joy. 
When  at  His  baptism,  at  His  transfiguration  and 
just  before  His  crucifixion,  at  morning,  at  noon- 
time and  in  the  evening  of  His  Day  on  earth,  a 
voice  was  heard  from  heaven,  proclaiming  His  di- 
vine sonship  and  authenticating  His  mission,  His 
must  have  been  "  a  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of 
glory"  (1  Peter  1:8). 

The  deepest  source  of  our  Savior's  happiness, 
however,  was  in  His  sinlessness.  It  was  this  in- 
deed that  fitted  Him  for  unbroken  communion  with 
God,  and  this  in  itself  shut  off  from  His  inner  be- 


22      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

ing  many  forms  of  suffering  that  only  sinful  souls 
may  know.  He  bare  our  sins.  He  suffered  their 
dreadful  penalty.  What  He  endured  "  for  us  men 
and  for  our  salvation  "  no  tongue  can  tell.  But 
there  is  a  peculiar  form  of  suffering  springing  from 
conscious  wrong  doing  that  can  be  compared  with 
nothing  else,  and  we  are  glad  to  know  that  our 
blessed  Lord  never  experienced  it.  He  never  suf- 
fered from  an  evil  conscience.  He  never  knew  the 
pangs  of  remorse.  His  soul  was  never  inflamed 
with  unholy  anger,  nor  embittered  by  jealousy,  nor 
warped  with  covetous  desire,  nor  vexed  with  envy, 
nor  consumed  with  malice,  nor  puffed  up  with 
pride,  nor  shaken  with  fear,  nor  sullied  with  one 
single  sinful  thought!  From  His  life  in  the 
manger  to  His  death  upon  the  cross  He  was  "  holy, 
harmless,  undefiled,  separate  from  sinners  "  (Heb. 
vii:26).  When  we  consider  how  directly  suf- 
fering and  sorrow  in  this  life  spring  from  personal 
transgression  we  cannot  overestimate  the  happiness 
of  one  who  was  justly  exempt  from  self -accusation 
and  the  condemnation  of  God's  holy  law. 

In  a  Life  of  Lord  Byron  a  graphic  picture  is  pre- 
sented of  his  career  in  Venice.  "  Humiliation, 
shame,  a  keen  sense  of  injury,  remorseful  anger, 
and  incessant  fury  of  heart  and  brain  were  the 
forces  that  disposed  Byron  to  depraving  enjoy- 
ments." *  What  a  contrast  with  the  perfect  peace 
that  reigned  undisturbed  in  our  Savior's  bosom! 
* "  The  Real  Byron,"  p.  68. 


ELEMENTS  OF  HAPPINESS  IN  JESUS     23 

His  soul  was  a  pure  fountain  where  springs  of 
gladness  ever  rose  within.  He  told  the  Samaritan 
woman,  "  Whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that  I 
shall  give  him  shall  never  thirst :  but  the  water  that 
I  shall  give  him  shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water, 
springing  up  into  everlasting  life  "  (John  iv:  14). 

Surely  He  who  could  give  this  water  to  others 
had  an  unfailing  supply  in  Himself.  He  had  a 
present  possession  to  impart  when  He  said  to  His 
disciples,  "  Peace  I  leave  with  you,  My  peace  I 
give  unto  you  "  (John  xiv:  27). 

And  pre-eminently  the  joyful  hours  of  Jesus 
were  hours  of  service.  He  could  truly  say  "  I  de- 
light to  do  Thy  will,  O  my  God"  (Ps.  xl:8). 
"  For  I  came  down  from  heaven,  not  to  do  mine 
own  will,  but  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  me  "  (John 

vi:38). 

There  is  satisfaction  in  all  honest  work  that  is 
well  done;  but  what  work  ever  brought  its  own 
sweet  reward  like  that  of  our  Savior's  tender  and 
loving  ministry  ?  What  was  apparently  one  of  His 
familiar  sayings  is  quoted  by  the  apostle  Paul  in 
his  affecting  address  to  the  elders  of  Ephesus.  He 
bade  them  "  remember  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
how  He  said  (was  wont  to  say)  '  It  is  more  blessed 
to  give  than  to  receive  '  "  (Acts  xx  :  35).  No  one 
ever  experienced  the  blessedness  of  giving  as  did 
the  Lord  Jesus.  His  whole  life  was  spent  in 
benevolence.  And  in  every  work  of  mercy 
wrought  by  His  hands  His  soul  was  refreshed  and 


24      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

made  glad.  What  joy  must  have  shone  on  His 
kindly  face  as  He  looked  into  the  opened  eyes  of 
the  man  born  blind  at  Jerusalem,  of  the  two  blind 
men  of  Capernaum  and  of  Bartimeus  and  his  com- 
panion in  blindness  at  Jericho  ?  What  new  strength 
did  He  feel  in  His  heart  when  He  healed  the  para- 
lytic, rebuked  the  fever  of  Simon's  wife's  mother 
and  raised  up  the  bowed  form  of  the  woman  with  a 
spirit  of  infirmity ! 

What  enjoyment  He  took  in  feeding  the  hungry 
multitudes.  And  how  He  must  have  rejoiced  with 
the  widow  of  Nain,  with  the  household  of  Jairus 
and  with  the  sisters  at  Bethany  as  He  showed  Him- 
self to  be  Lord  both  of  life  and  of  death! 

Ministering  to  the  smitten  bodies  of  men  and 
raising  the  dead  were  not,  however,  the  highest 
forms  of  service  in  which  Jesus  was  engaged. 
These  things  were  ever  subordinate  to  His  chief 
mission  which  was  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which 
was  lost. 

It  was  when  He  found  faith  in  the  hearts  of  His 
hearers,  saw  the  tears  of  the  penitent  and  felt  the 
answering  love  of  souls  His  love  had  quickened 
into  spiritual  life,  that  He  had  His  most  joyful 
hours.  In  his  matchless  parables  of  the  lost 
sheep,  the  lost  coin  and  the  lost  boy,  He  teaches 
this  great  lesson.  "  There  is  joy  in  the  presence 
of  the  angels  of  God  over  one  sinner  that  re- 
penteth."  It  is  first  of  all  a  reflected  joy  the 
angels  feel.     They  catch  the  light  of  a  gladness  on 


ELEMENTS  OF  HAPPINESS  IN  JESUS     25 

the  face  of  God,  and  are  moved  to  rejoicing  by  it, 
as  the  waves  of  the  sea  are  kindled  into  brightness 
by  the  shining  of  the  sun.  Jesus  always  tasted  this 
supreme  joy  before  His  disciples  shared  it  and 
came  to  rejoice  with  Him. 

They  wondered  when  they  returned  to  the  well 
at  Samaria  that  their  Master  whom  they  had  left 
weary  and  faint  did  not  partake  of  the  food  they 
had  brought.  But  He  had  found  a  stimulus  that 
sunk  the  claims  of  the  body  out  of  sight.  And  He 
said  "  I  have  meat  to  eat  that  ye  know  not  of." 
"  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  Me 
and  to  finish  His  work."  The  joy  of  soul  saving 
was  the  highest  joy  our  blessed  Lord  ever  knew 
upon  earth. 

When  the  seventy  returned  with  joy  saying, 
"  Lord,  even  the  devils  are  subject  unto  us  through 
Thy  name,"  He  bade  them  rejoice  most  of  all  that 
their  names  were  written  in  heaven.  "  In  that 
hour  Jesus  rejoiced  (literally  exulted)  in  spirit, 
and  said  I  thank  thee,  O  Father,  Lord  of  heaven 
and  earth,  that  Thou  hast  hid  these  things  from  the 
wise  and  prudent,  and  hast  revealed  them  unto 
babes :  even  so,  Father,  for  so  it  seemed  good  in 
Thy  sight.  All  things  are  delivered  unto  me  of 
my  Father :  and  no  man  knoweth  who  the  Father 
is  but  the  Son,  and  he  to  whom  the  Son  will  re- 
veal Him  "  (Luke  x:  17-22).  And  it  was  in  this 
hour  of  exultation  and  triumph,  as  we  learn  from 
the  parallel  passage  in  Matthew  (xi:27),  that  He 


26      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

gave  utterance  to  that  matchless  invitation  that  has 
sounded  on  through  all  the  ages  since  His  day, 
bringing  comfort,  strength  and  gladness  to  so  many 
hearts :  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are 
heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest"  (Matt,  xi : 
28).  Does  it  not  enhance  the  value  of  this  price- 
less heritage  of  the  weary  that  it  was  spoken,  not 
in  an  hour  of  despondency  and  heaviness  by  the 
man  of  sorrows,  but  in  an  hour  of  exultation,  when 
Jesus  rejoiced  in  spirit  as  He  realized  to  the  full 
His  oneness  with  God  and  that  all  power  was  given 
unto  Him  in  heaven  and  in  earth? 

In  our  Savior's  ministry  of  soul  saving  upon 
earth  was  fulfilled  the  prophecy  of  Zephaniah 
"  The  Lord  thy  God  in  the  midst  of  thee  is  mighty  : 
He  will  save;  He  will  rejoice  over  thee  with  joy; 
He  will  rest  in  His  love ;  He  will  joy  over  thee  with 
singing"  (Zeph.  iii:i6,  17). 

"  For  the  joy  that  was  set  before  Him  He  en- 
dured the  cross  "  (Heb.  xii :  2)  yet  His  joy  was  not 
all  in  the  future. 

In  spite  of  all  His  acknowledged  sorrows  we 
are  warranted  in  believing  that  never  did  sinful 
man  on  this  earth  live  a  life  in  which  as  much  hap- 
piness was  summed  up  as  in  the  life  of  Jesus  of 
Nazareth. 

I  once  heard  Chaplain  McCabe,  afterward 
Bishop  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  relate  how  after  giv- 
ing his  lecture  on  the  "  Bright  Side  of  Life  in 
Libbey  Prison,"  a  lady  who  had  listened  to  him 


ELEMENTS  OF  HAPPINESS  IN  JESUS     27 

came  forward  and  thanked  him,  with  tears  in  her 
eyes,  that  he  had  made  it  possible  for  her  to  be- 
lieve that  her  boy,  who  had  suffered  in  that  worse 
than  barbarous  prison  house,  had  some  happy  hours 
even  there.  And  surely  it  is  comforting  to  think 
that  He  who  willingly  endured  for  us  humiliation, 
suffering  and  death  was  not  unhappy  in  His  exile 
from  His  Father's  House:  that  He  had  the  abid- 
ing springs  of  peace  and  joy  in  His  own  being;  and 
that  there  were  many  hours  when  "  Jesus  rejoiced 
in  spirit." 


"  Christ  had  his  joys — but  they  were  not 

The  joys  the  son  of  pleasure  boasts — 
O,  no !    't  was  when  His  Spirit  sought 

Thy  Will,  Thy  glory,  God  of  hosts ! 
Christ  had  His  joys — and  so  hath  he, 

Who  feels  His  Spirit  in  his  heart; 
Who  yields,  O  God,  his  all  to  Thee, 

And  loves  Thy  name  for  what  Thou  art !  " 


II 

FOREGLEAMS  OF  REJOICING 

IT  is  not  only  in  the  New  Testament  that  the 
joyfulness  of  our  blessed  Redeemer  is  set 
before  us.  Before  His  Advent  this  aspect 
of  his  life-work  was  abundantly  recognized.  The 
Messianic  Psalms  are  full  of  it.  (See  especially 
45,  72,  no.)  The  harps  of  the  prophets  were  not 
always  pitched  upon  the  minor  key.  Abraham 
rejoiced  to  see  Christ's  day,  and  he  saw  it  and  was 
glad.  David  and  Isaiah  strike  no  higher  notes 
than  when  they  exult  in  His  triumphant  reign ;  and 
the  prophet  Zephaniah,  in  a  remarkable  chapter, 
predicts  his  joyful  rest  in  salvation.  We  may 
therefore  fittingly  devote  this  chapter  of  the  "  Joy- 
ful Hours  of  Jesus  "  to  a  consideration  of  these 
prophetic  words:  "Sing,  O  daughter  of  Zion; 
shout,  O  Israel;  be  glad  and  rejoice  with  all  thy 
heart,  O  daughter  of  Jerusalem.  .  .  .  The  Lord 
thy  God  in  the  midst  of  thee  is  mighty;  He  will 
save,  He  will  rejoice  over  thee  with  joy;  He  will 
rest  in  His  love,  He  will  joy  over  thee  with  sing- 
ing." Zeph.  iii :  14-17.  This  short  passage  is  an 
inspired  poem  in  itself.  It  is  one  of  the  many 
little  gems  of  Hebrew  literature.     As  a  poem  it 


FOREGLEAMS  OF  REJOICING  29 

has  all  the  elements  of  the  highest  art.  The  lan- 
guage is  simple,  yet  elevated ;  strong  and  full  of 
vitality.  It  has  a  true  rhythm  and  resonance, 
which  give  pleasure  to  the  ear,  and  a  movement 
which  sustains  interest  throughout. 

Yet  here  is  something  more  than  Classic  beauty, 
something  loftier  than  "  poetic  efflatus."  These 
old  Hebrew  prophets,  sublime  as  their  language 
often  is,  never  aim  merely  at  purity  of  diction  or 
beauty  of  expression.  With  them  poetry  was  an 
instrument,  never  an  end  in  itself.  It  was  a 
vehicle  of  lofty  thought,  only  valued  for  the  mes- 
sage it  bore.  It  was  with  a  divinely  guided  touch 
that  the  prophet's  hand  swept  the  lyre;  with  a 
mind  moved  by  the  Spirit  of  God  that  he  poured 
forth  his  utterances,  speaking  to  the  heart  of  the 
Hebrew  people,  now  with  a  simple  lyric ;  now  with 
a  powerful  drama;  now  with  a  solemn  dirge;  now 
with  a  hallelujah  of  triumph;  but  always  with  a 
religious  object  in  view;  to  awaken  to  penitence, 
to  inspire  with  assurance,  to  move  to  holy  action. 

Not  always,  indeed,  was  the  full  import  of  the 
inspired  message  discerned;  but  always,  to  the 
hearts  of  those  prepared  for  it,  was  knowledge  and 
grace  imparted.  And  the  prophets  themselves 
searched  diligently  to  know  what  or  what  manner 
of  the  time  the  Spirit  of  Christ  which  was  in  them 
did  signify,  when  it  testified  beforehand  the  suffer- 
ings of  Christ  and  the  glory  which  should  follow. 
i  Pet.  i :  10. 


30      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

So  we  may  listen  to  this  voice  of  the  past,  as- 
sured that  it  still  has  its  message  for  the  Church. 
It  is  for  us  the  Gospel  is  here  preached.  Though 
his  language  is  in  poetic  form  Zephaniah  uses 
here  "  great  plainness  of  speech."  His  great 
theme  is  salvation.  His  key-note  is  joy.  His  end 
is  to  comfort  and  inspire  the  hearts  of  God's 
people,  by  revealing  the  peculiar  glories  of  the 
Messiah. 

Let  us  note  that  the  prophet  speaks  here  of 
the  Majesty  of  Christ.  The  Jehovah  of  the  O.  T. 
is  the  Jesus  of  the  New.  The  God  of  the  O.  T. 
is  the  God  of  the  New.  God  does  not  change. 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  same,  yesterday,  to-day  and 
forever.  It  is  true  that  God,  who  is  spoken  of 
as  Jehovah  in  the  O.  T.,  did  not  reveal  Himself 
so  fully  as  He  did  in  the  person  and  life  of  Jesus 
Christ;  but  this  was  not  because  God  was  less 
gracious  in  O.  T.  times  than  in  N.  T.  times;  but 
because  the  world  was  not  ready  to  receive  His 
revelations.  I  believe  that  God  has  always  re- 
vealed Himself  as  fully  to  men  as  it  has  been 
possible  for  Him  to  do,  without  doing  violence  to 
the  freedom  of  the  human  will. 

It  was  Jehovah  Jesus  who,  before  His  incarna- 
tion, spake  in  times  past  to  the  prophets  and  it  is 
Jehovah  Jesus  who  speaks  to  us  more  fully  in  the 
revelations  of  the  N.  T. 

In  this  we  are  not  claiming  more  for  Jesus 
Christ  than  He  claimed  for  Himself.    He  told  the 


FOREGLEAMS  OF  REJOICING         31 

Jews,  "  Before  Abraham  was,  I  Am."  "  He  that 
hath  seen  Me  hath  seen  the  Father."  Thomas  said 
to  Him,  after  His  resurrection,  "  My  Lord  and 
my  God."  And  so  far  from  rebuking  him  for 
idolatrous  worship,  Jesus  replied,  "  Thomas,  be- 
cause thou  hast  seen,  thou  hast  believed.  Blessed 
are  they  who  have  not  seen,  and  yet  have  be- 
lieved." We  believe,  with  Paul,  that  in  Him  dwelt 
all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily.  That  He 
is  the  brightness  of  God's  glory  and  the  express 
image  of  His  person.  That  He  was  before  all 
things  and  that  by  Him  all  things  consist.  And 
with  John  that  "  all  things  were  made  by  Him, 
and  without  Him  was  not  anything  made  that 
was  made." 

Unbelievers  in  every  age  have  rejected  this 
truth  of  the  gospel;  but  belief  in  the  Deity  of 
Jesus  Christ  has  a  stronger  hold  on  the  world  to- 
day than  it  has  ever  had  in  all  the  history  of  the 
Church.  And  all  the  signs  of  promise  indicate 
to  the  Watchman  upon  the  walls  of  Zion,  that 
the  twentieth  century,  more  than  any  previous 
century,  will  rejoice  to  crown  Him  Lord  of 
all! 

The  Author  of  salvation,  then,  is  the  Sovereign 
of  the  universe.  The  Creator,  who,  though  He 
upholds  the  worlds  that  in  untold  number  fill  the 
vault  of  heaven,  and  calleth  them  all  by  name,  so 
that  not  one  faileth,  yet  fainteth  not,  neither  is 
weary. 


32      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

Yet  the  majesty  of  Christ  is  more  illustriously 
shown  in  redemption  than  in  the  works  of  creation 
and  providence.  Redemption  touches  the  spirit 
world.  It  exhibits  our  Savior  as  Sovereign  not 
only  over  matter,  but  over  intelligent  will.  It 
magnifies  Him  as  One  before  whom  every  knee 
shall  bow.  "  He  must  reign  until  all  enemies  are 
put  under  His  feet." 

And  the  cost  of  redemption  proclaims  it  as 
the  greatest  of  all  the  works  of  God.  In  creation 
God  spake,  and  it  was  done.  God  said,  Let 
there  be  light;  and  there  was  light.  God  breathed 
into  man's  nostrils  the  breath  of  life,  and  man 
became  a  living  soul !  With  what  apparent  ease 
were  all  these  mighty  works  accomplished !  By 
a  volition, — a  word, — a  breath!  And  even  if 
the  development  of  the  universe,  as  at  present 
constituted,  took  untold  ages,  there  is  no  sign  that 
it  cost  the  Creator  anything.  How  vast  the  con- 
trast when  man  was  to  be  redeemed !  What  years 
of  toil  and  suffering!  What  tears  and  groans  and 
dying  agonies!  What  humiliation  and  shame  for 
the  eternal  Son  of  God,  ending  in  death  and  the 
tomb!  Thus  may  we  measure  the  work  accom- 
plished by  our  blessed  Redeemer  and  learn  how 
much  we  owe!  What  wonder  that  His  majestic 
rule  commands  the  praises  of  heaven,  and  is 
echoed  from  the  arches  of  the  celestial  Temple. 
"  And  I  heard,"  says  John,  "  the  voice  of  many 
angels  round  about  the  throne  .   .   .  saying  .   .   . 


FOREGLEAMS  OF  REJOICING  33 

Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive 
power  and  riches  and  wisdom  and  strength  and 
honor  and  glory  and  blessing!  Alleluia,  for  the 
Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth !  "  This  is  He  who 
is  introduced  to  us  by  Zephaniah.  His  title  is 
King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords.  And  He  right- 
fully claims  all  power  in  heaven  and  upon  earth ! 

The  next  amazing  thing  of  which  Zephaniah 
speaks  is  that  this  mighty  Sovereign  is  a  God  near 
and  not  a  God  afar  off.  Here  already  in  the 
O.  T.  He  stands  revealed  as  an  Immanuel,  God 
with  us! 

The  Lord  thy  God  in  the  midst  of  thee  is 
mighty.  The  Scriptures  reveal  God  chiefly,  not 
as  one  who  in  the  dim  and  far  off  past  did  great 
things,  nor  as  one  who  in  the  heavens  ruleth  over 
all,  but  as  one  who  is  in  the  midst  of  us,  with  all 
His  power,  wisdom  and  love  availing  for  our 
salvation  and  spiritual  enrichment.  What  an 
amazing  consideration !    Oh,  for  faith  to  grasp  it ! 

"  And  will  this  mighty  King  of  glory  condescend, 
And  will  He  write  His  name,  my  Savior  and  my  Friend? 
I  love  His  name,  I  love  His  word ! 
Join  all  my  powers  to  praise  the  Lord ! " 

It  is  in  the  Gospel  that  God  is  brought  especially 
near  to  us.  We  see  in  Christ  our  elder  Brother. 
He  touches  us  at  every  point,  save  in  fellowship 
with  sin.  And  He  is  the  only  One  who  has  power 
to  relieve  us  of  this  dreadful  evil.    We  talk  as  if 


34      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

we  believe  this !  But  I  fear  that  we  have  lost  much 
of  the  impression  these  old  Hebrew  prophets  had 
of  His  majesty  and  His  power.  We  use  His  name 
with  familiarity,  sometimes  with  flippancy.  We 
think  more  of  His  sympathy  than  we  do  of  His 
exalted  character.  More  of  His  love  for  us  than 
of  our  loyalty  to  Him.  More  of  the  comfort  of 
His  presence  than  of  having  Him  assert  His  crown 
rights  in  our  lives.  Hence  too  often,  as  Jeremiah 
laments,  He  is  in  the  midst  of  us  "  as  a  man  aston- 
ished, as  a  mighty  man  that  cannot  save."  We 
limit  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  by  our  unbelief.  We 
need  to  remember  the  truth  to  which  Zephaniah 
calls  our  attention.  This  mighty  God  is  not  only 
here  in  the  midst  of  us;  but  He  is  here  for  a  pur- 
pose. What  is  this  purpose?  Let  Zephaniah 
answer.  "  He  will  save."  This  was  the  errand 
that  brought  the  Savior  to  our  sinful  earth,  and 
this  is  the  end  He  has  in  view  in  dwelling  in  the 
midst  of  his  people.  "  Call  His  name  Jesus :  for 
He  shall  save  His  people  from  their  sins."  Matt. 
i :  21. 

When  a  man  of  distinguished  reputation,  a 
Statesman,  a  Governor,  a  President  comes  to  any 
community,  great  interest  is  always  excited. 
People  want  to  know  at  once  why  he  came,  what 
his  errand  is,  and  what  will  be  the  result  of  his 
coming.  They  do  not  expect  men  of  unusual 
prominence  and  ability  to  make  aimless  moves, 
or  to  be  inefficient.     We  need  to  remember  that 


FOREGLEAMS  OF  REJOICING         35 

God  has  a  purpose  in  dwelling  in  the  midst  of  His 
people.  He  is  here  to  save.  This  is  the  work  in 
which  He  takes  delight.  But  sometimes  His  skill 
is  baffled  by  the  rejection  of  those  who  need  Him 
most.  Sometimes  a  medical  missionary  comes  to 
a  plague  stricken  community,  only  to  find  that  few 
will  accept  his  remedies.  Such  is  Christ's  position 
in  the  midst  of  us.  He  is  a  kind  Physician.  He 
is  here  to  save !  He  is  able  to  save  unto  the  utter- 
most. And  yet  He  saves  only  those  who  are  will- 
ing to  be  saved.  God  saves  no  man  against  his 
own  will.  There  are  some  things  every  sinner 
must  do  who  finds  salvation.  He  must  realize  his 
guilt  and  his  helplessness.  He  must  acknowledge 
his  sin.  He  must  repent.  He  must  have  faith  in 
God.  He  must  open  his  heart  to  the  Gospel.  He 
must  commit  the  keeping  of  his  soul  to  Christ  in 
well  doing.  God  helps  every  soul  to  do  all  these 
things,  who  looks  to  Him  in  prayer  for  the  gracious 
ability  to  do  them;  but  no  one  who  refuses  to  allow 
God's  power  to  work  thus  within  him  can  find 
salvation. 

Yet  HE  WILL  SAVE!  There  are  always 
some  who  are  willing  to  receive  the  Savior.  It 
was  so  when  He  was  upon  the  earth.  Rejected 
at  Gadara,  He  was  welcomed  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Lake,  where  the  people  were  all  waiting  for 
Him.  Driven  out  of  Judea,  He  made  for  Himself 
a  welcome  at  Jacob's  well.  With  no  shelter  in 
Jerusalem,  He  found  a  home  in  Bethany. 


36      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

It  is  so  still !  HE  WILL  SAVE !  He  is  carry- 
ing on  His  work  in  many  hearts,  and  precious 
souls  will  yet  be  won  to  Him,  who  have  not 
yet  acknowledged  His  power.  What  a  cheering 
assurance  is  this  for  those  who  love  to  see  the 
Savior  honored;  but  who  have  almost  come  to 
believe  that  it  is  useless  to  pray  any  longer  for  those 
for  whose  salvation  they  long !  The  Lord  thy  God 
in  the  midst  of  thee  is  mighty.     He  will  save! 

But  Zephaniah  calls  upon  us  to  consider  a 
greater  wonder  still.  .  .  .  Jehovah's  complacency 
in  salvation.  "  He  will  rejoice  over  thee  with 
joy:  He  will  rest  in  His  love.  He  will  joy  over 
thee  with  singing." 

There  is  satisfaction  in  the  breast  of  every  true 
workman,  when  success  crowns  his  labors.  Even 
the  gloomy  Carlyle  tells  us  that  he  finished  his 
"  unutterable  book,"  Frederick  the  Great,  with  a 
"  kind  of  solemn  thankfulness."  Bernard  Palissey 
was  thrilled  with  gladness  when,  after  16  years 
struggling  with  suffering  and  poverty,  he  wrested 
from  nature  and  art  the  secret  of  the  manufacture 
of  enameled  pottery.  Who  can  describe  the  emo- 
tions of  Michael  Angelo  when  "  the  hand  that 
gilded  Peter's  dome  "  put  the  finishing  touches  on 
that  immortal  work!  Who  can  describe  the  rap- 
ture of  Wilberforce  when  he  saw  Britain  free  from 
the  iniquity  of  the  slave  trade;  or  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  when  he  penned  the  Emancipation 
Proclamation ! 


FOREGLEAMS  OF  REJOICING         37 

Jesus  Christ  carried  out  the  great  work  of  Re- 
demption single  handed.  No  one  shared  with  Him 
its  labors,  its  anxieties,  its  sufferings,  its  penalty. 
Yet  He  left  nothing  undone  to  secure  a  perfect 
salvation  for  all  His  people.  When  He  left  the 
earth,  He  could  say  to  the  Father,  "  I  have  glorified 
Thee  on  the  earth ;  I  have  finished  the  work  which 
Thou  gavest  me  to  do."  What  wonder  that  He 
should  take  complacent  satisfaction  in  a  work  so 
vast,  so  unique,  so  glorious,  so  full  of  far  reaching 
results,  not  only  to  this  little  earth,  but  to  the 
whole  universe  of  God  and  to  His  own  Mediatorial 
glory!  If  the  morning  stars  sang  together  and 
all  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy  when  God  laid 
the  foundations  of  the  earth;  and  He  who  rested 
from  His  labors  said,  "  Behold,  it  is  very  good," 
what  must  have  been  the  joy  among  the  angels 
when  the  great  Captain  of  our  salvation  ascended 
from  the  earth,  which  had  been  at  once  the 
scene  of  His  sufferings  and  of  His  triumph, 
"  leading  captivity  captive  and  giving  gifts  to 
men  " ! 

The  work  of  redemption  was  in  one  sense  com- 
plete when  Jesus  left  the  earth;  for  the  atonement 
had  been  made,  but,  in  another  sense,  it  is  a  work 
He  is  carrying  on  still,  as  He  applies  the  remedies 
of  the  Gospel  to  the  hearts  of  men.  He  is  still 
in  the  midst  of  us  mighty  to  save,  and  His  heart 
goes  out  in  love  and  compassion  for  the  perishing. 
And  there  is  nothing  that  so  satisfies  the  Savior, 


38      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

now,  after  the  travail  of  His  soul  in  the  days  of 
His  flesh,  as  to  see  the  hearts  of  men  melting  into 
tenderness  under  the  warm  rays  of  His  infinite 
love. 

What  an  expression  is  this  of  Zephaniah,  "  He 
will  rest  in  His  love  " !  There  was  nothing  that 
so  rested  and  refreshed  the  Savior,  when  He  was 
upon  the  earth,  as  the  faith  of  the  needy,  the  tears 
of  the  penitent,  the  prayers  of  the  perishing.  Once, 
when  worn  out  with  toil,  He  withdrew  to  a  desert 
place  for  rest;  but,  when  the  multitude  followed 
Him,  His  compassions  were  stirred,  because  they 
were  as  sheep  not  having  a  shepherd,  and  He 
began  to  teach  them  many  things.  He  forgot  His 
weariness  when  He  found  their  hearts  were  rest- 
less and  seeking  rest  in  Him.  He  was  both  weary 
and  hungry  when  He  sat  on  Jacob's  well ;  but  soon 
He  rested  in  His  love  when  the  Samaritan  woman 
began  to  drink  in  the  water  of  life;  and  He  said 
to  His  returning  and  wondering  disciples,  "  I  have 
meat  to  eat  that  ye  know  not  of."  How  the  Savior 
rested  in  His  love  when  the  woman  that  was  a 
sinner  bathed  His  feet  with  her  tears!  How  His 
spirit  was  refreshed  as  Mary  sat  at  His  feet  and 
heard  His  words !  And  what  rest  His  weary  soul 
had  when  the  seventy  returned  with  joy,  saying, 
"Lord,  even  the  devils  are  subject  to  us  through 
Thy  name!"  "In  that  hour  Jesus  rejoiced  in 
spirit,  and  said,  ...  all  things  are  delivered 
unto  me  of  my  Father."     And  what  wonder  that, 


FOREGLEAMS  OF  REJOICING  39 

in  the  exuberance  of  His  love  He  should,  at  this 
time,  utter  that  matchless  invitation  that  has  gone 
ringing  down  the  ages :  "Come  unto  Me  all  ye 
that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give 
you  rest "  !  It  was  not  only  for  the  sake  of  the 
lost  that  salvation  came  to  a  Nicodemus,  to  a 
Zaccheus,  to  a  dying  thief.  The  Savior  needed 
these  resting  places  in  His  weary  way,  that  He 
might  not  fail  nor  be  discouraged  till  He  had  set 
judgment  in  the  earth  (Isa.  xliiizj.).  An  angel 
strengthened  Him  in  the  garden;  but  on  the  cross, 
in  the  hour  of  His  deeper  agony,  it  sufficed  that 
He  rescued  from  the  very  jaws  of  death  one  of 
the  vilest  of  our  race,  that  He  might  thus  rest  in 
His  love;  and,  in  His  dying  moments,  reveal  the 
fulness  of  His  salvation  by  erecting  close  to  Cal- 
vary, where  all  eyes  that  looked  to  Him  henceforth 
must  see  it,  a  monument  of  grace. 

The  Savior  was  the  "  Man  of  sorrows  "  ;  but 
we  think  too  little  of  the  deep  undercurrent  of 
peace  that  flowed  always  through  His  soul  and 
of  the  satisfaction  He  took  in  His  redeem- 
ing work.  "  For  the  joy  that  was  set  be- 
fore Him  He  endured  the  cross,  despising  the 
shame." 

Far  be  it  from  us  to  belittle  the  sufferings  of 
the  Savior  of  men.  That  such  a  being  should 
suffer  for  us  at  all,  how  amazing,  how  condescend- 
ing, how  infinitely  kind!  All  the  elements  that 
enter  into  the  case  increase  the  wonder  that  He 


40      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

should  die.  His  dignity,  His  knowledge  of  all 
that  was  before  Him,  His  entire  willingness  to 
lay  down  His  life,  the  ill-desert  of  those  for  whom 
He  suffered,  .  .  .  these  and  other  things  pile  up 
wonder  upon  wonder,  into  which  angels  desire  to 
look.  But  with  it  all  let  us  remember  what  He 
has  so  impressively  taught  us,  that  time  is  not 
eternity.  His  sufferings  were  but  as  a  ripple  on 
the  calm  ocean  of  His  endless  life;  as  one  painful 
breathing  in  the  bosom  of  His  immortal  being; 
as  one  fleeting  cloud  in  the  infinite  azure  of  His 
eternal  day.  Ever  since  He  left  the  earth  He  has 
been  resting  in  His  love.  Isaiah  declares,  "  He 
shall  see  of  the  travail  of  His  soul  and  shall  be 
satisfied."  Will  you  let  the  loving  Savior  rest  in 
your  bosom,  O  impenitent  soul,  after  His  weary 
way  on  the  earth,  seeking  to  save,  or  will  He  find 
no  room  in  your  heart  for  Him,  as  when  He  drew 
His  first  breath  there  was  no  room  for  Him  at 
the  Inn? 

"  He  will  rest  in  His  love !  "  In  the  margin  the 
reading  is  "  He  will  be  silent  in  His  love."  There 
are  times  when  love  finds  its  truest  expression  in 
silence.  The  mother,  bending  over  her  babe  at 
night;  the  watcher,  hailing  in  the  peaceful  slumber 
of  her  patient  the  returning  tides  of  life  that  are 
bringing  a  loved  one  back  to  health  and  strength ; 
the  wife,  clasping  in  her  arms  the  husband  who 
has  returned  from  many  dangers  on  the  battle- 
field or  on  the  sea ;  the  parents,  welcoming  to  their 


FOREGLEAMS  OF  REJOICING         41 

home  and  to  their  covenant  God  a  wandering  but 
penitent  son  or  daughter,  these  do  not  love  the 
less  because  they  are  silent  in  their  love.  Some- 
times silence  is  more  eloquent  than  speech.  Some- 
times the  heart  is  too  full  for  utterance. 
Sometimes  "  the  lips  can  only  tremble  with  the  joys 
they  cannot  speak  "  !  How  eloquently  does  the 
Savior  speak  to  you  of  His  love  when  He  whispers 
it  only  in  the  "  still  small  voice  "  !  Let  this  be  the 
prayer  of  every  one  of  us :  "  Rest,  blessed  Savior, 
in  my  bosom,  silent  in  Thy  love;  only  let  me,  as 
it  were,  feel  the  pressure  of  Thy  loving  hand  upon 
me  that  I  may  know  Thou  art  there;  make  me 
conscious,  by  Thy  Spirit,  of  Thy  presence;  and 
let  everything  that  might  disturb  Thy  perfect  rest 
within  me  be  driven  from  my  breast; — then,  and 
then  only,  shall  my  soul  find  perfect  rest  in  Thee!  " 
And  here  I  might  well  end.  But  the  prophet 
does  not  thus  end  his  inspired  poem.  He  strikes 
a  higher  note,  and  bids  all  heaven  join  the  chorus, 
as  he  tells  how  the  Lord  brings  home  His  own. 
The  rest  the  Redeemer  enjoys  with  His  people  on 
earth  is  imperfect  and  transient.  There  remaineth 
a  rest  for  Him,  as  well  as  for  them, — an  eternal 
Sabbath  of  joy.  "  The  Lord  thy  God  in  the  midst 
of  thee  is  mighty;  He  will  save;  He  will  rejoice 
over  thee  with  joy;  He  will  rest  in  His  love;  He 
will  joy  over  thee  with  singing."  It  is  because 
God  rejoices  in  Zion  that  Zion  is  summoned  to 
rejoice  in  God. 


42      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

The  joy  in  the  presence  of  the  angels  is  the 
joy  of  Jehovah  Jesus,  and  that  joy  will  swell  out 
into  glad  triumph  through  all  the  ages  to  come 
as  "  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall  return  and 
come  to  Zion  with  songs  and  everlasting  joy  upon 
their  heads;  they  shall  obtain  joy  and  gladness, 
and  sorrow  and  sighing  shall  flee  away  "  (Isa.  xxv : 
10).  "And  His  rest  shall  be  glorious!"  (Isa. 
xl:  10). 

Bunyan,  at  the  close  of  his  matchless  Allegory, 
after  describing  how  Christian  and  Hopeful  came 
up  to  the  gates  of  the  celestial  Zion,  says,  "  Then 
I  saw  in  my  dream  that  all  the  bells  of  the  city 
rang  again  for  joy,  and  that  it  was  said  unto  them, 
'  Enter  ye  into  the  joy  of  your  Lord.'  "  What 
will  be  the  jubilation  when  the  last  member  of 
the  redeemed  host  shall  have  crossed  the  flood, 
and  we  meet  in  the  New  Jerusalem  to  crown  Him 
Lord  of  all! 


"  The  mighty  God !    Here  shalt  thou  find  thy  rest, 
O  weary  one !    There  is  naught  else  to  know, 
Naught  else  to  seek — here  thou  may'st  cease  thy  quest. 
Give  thyself  up.    He  leads  where  thou  shalt  go. 

The  changeless  God!    Into  thy  troubled  life 
Steals  strange,  sweet  peace ;  the  pride  that  drove  thee  on, 

The  hot  ambition  and  the  selfish  strife 
That  made  thy  misery,  like  mists  are  gone." 


Ill 

A  GLADDENING  LIFE-WORK 

THE  whole  history  of  Jesus  Christ  is  wrapped 
up  in  the  significant  words  of  Peter  in  the 
house  of  Cornelius,  when  he  speaks  of  Him 
as  one  "  who  went  about  doing  good."     All  else 
that  is  recorded  of  Him  is  but  an  expansion  of 
this  general  statement.     Biography  at  its  best  is 
but  a  fragment.    The  most  voluminous  record  of 
any  man's  life  must  leave  untouched  the  bulk  of 
all  that  he  has  said  and  done.     Mr.  Crocker,  the 
laborious  editor  of  Boswell's  Johnson,  calls  atten- 
tion in  his  preface  to  the  fact  that  "  a  little  less 
than  the  one  hundredth  part  of  Dr.  Johnson's  life 
occupies   about   one  half   of   Boswell's   work   of 
2528  pages."     Yet   few  will  dispute  Macaulay's 
verdict  that  "  Boswell  is  the  first  of  biographers." 
Not  only  would  it  be  impossible   for  any  his- 
torian to  ascertain  all  the  incidents  that  transpired 
in  the  lifetime  of  his  hero,  but  the  very  end  of 
his  work  would  be  defeated  by  such  an  elabora- 
tion.    The  mind  of  the  reader  would  be  over- 
whelmed by  the  mass  of  details.    The  most  faithful 
and  successful  biographer,  therefore,   is  he  who 
skillfully   seizes   upon   salient   points   that   reveal 

43 


44      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

character,  or  have  a  marked  effect  upon  the  indi- 
vidual himself  or  upon  society.  How  imperfect 
is  our  knowledge  of  the  whole  life  of  Julius 
Caesar,  of  Socrates,  of  Peter  the  Great,  of  Martin 
Luther!  And  yet  there  can  be  little  question  that 
the  world  has  a  truer  conception  of  the  genius  and 
character  of  these  men  than  it  would  have  if  the 
great  gaps  that  yawn  in  the  narratives  of  their 
childhood,  their  youth,  their  manhood  were  all 
filled  up  with  a  minute  account  of  every  day's 
experiences. 

This  law  of  selection,  which  governs  all  history, 
applies  to  the  history  of  Him  who  was  the  Life 
and  the  Light  of  men.  We  have,  as  has  been  re- 
marked, but  one  incident,  viz.,  the  scene  in  the 
Temple,  recorded  of  the  first  thirty  years  of  His 
life.  And  of  the  three  years  of  His  active  minis- 
try comparatively  few  incidents  and  discourses  are 
recorded.  John  truly  says,  "  There  were  also 
many  other  things  that  Jesus  did."  Yet,  while  the 
history  of  Jesus,  as  given  in  the  Gospels,  is  but  a 
fragment,  it  represents  the  whole  life  as  no  frag- 
ment, however  voluminous,  could  represent  the  life 
of  any  mere  man.  Who  shall  say  that  there  were 
not  incidents  in  the  unrecorded  years  of  this  wise 
man  that  if  made  known  would  make  us  deplore 
his  folly?  of  this  good  man  that  would  make  us 
shudder  at  his  wrong  doing?  of  this  brave  man 
that  would  awaken  our  wonder  at  his  cowardice? 
So  that,  while  we  may  form  our  estimate  of  human 


A  GLADDENING  LIFE-WORK  45 

character  by  fragmentary  biography,  we  dare  not 
affirm  that  it  is  faultless,  or  that  the  same  prin- 
ciples of  wisdom,  benevolence  or  truth  we  have 
had  called  to  our  attention  characterized  the  hero 
at  all  times. 

Here,  however,  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ  differs 
from  that  of  any  mere  man.  We  have  general 
statements  made  of  His  life  in  the  flesh;  and  we 
know  that  they  are  absolutely  infallible,  and  apply 
to  His  whole  career,  from  His  birth  in  Bethle- 
hem to  His  death  upon  the  cross.  Such  is  that 
embodied  in  the  statement  that  He  went  about 
doing  good. 

Though  the  veil  that  hides  the  first  30  years 
of  His  life  is  but  once  lifted,  we  know  that  there 
is  nothing  hidden  behind  it  that  we  would  be  sorry 
to  learn! 

No  words  of  disrespect  to  His  parents  ever 
sprung  from  His  lips.  No  bursts  of  sinful  anger 
ever  perturbed  His  tranquil  spirit,  or  sent  their 
fiery  arrows  into  the  bosoms  of  His  childhood 
friends.  No  thought  of  impurity  ever  scorched 
His  soul.  No  deceit  ever  warped  His  sincere  and 
upright  purpose.  In  all  things,  and  at  all  times, 
He  was  "  holy,  harmless,  undefiled."  His  inno- 
cence was  spotless.  His  whole  spiritual  being  was 
an  unsullied  fountain;  hence  it  would  give  forth 
only  pure  and  wholesome  waters.  He  was  incar- 
nate goodness ;  hence  "  He  went  about  doing 
good." 


46      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

The  great  mission  of  Jesus  Christ  to  earth  was 
to  secure  the  salvation  of  sinners;  but  there  were 
subordinate  ends  accomplished  of  which  we  may 
not  lose  sight.  If  we  remember  His  death,  we 
must  also  study  His  life.  If  we  emphasize  His 
sufferings,  we  must  also  recognize  His  obedience. 
If  we  look  for  peace  to  His  atonement,  we  must 
look  for  guidance  to  His  example. 

Let  us  remark,  then,  of  the  benevolence  of 
Jesus,  that  it  was  Positive.  If  there  has  ever  been 
such  a  thing  as  a  negative  character,  His  was 
not  one.  His  life  was  spent  not  merely  in 
avoiding  evil,  but  in  doing  good.  His  was  an 
active  usefulness.  He  went  about  doing  good. 
Cloistered  virtue  has  had  its  pretenders  and  its 
advocates;  but  it  cannot  point  to  the  Son  of  man 
as  its  founder  or  its  exponent.  He  was  no  recluse. 
He  was  not  even  retiring  in  temper,  nor  stern  of 
spirit,  like  John  the  Baptist.  He  came  to  seek 
and  to  save  that  which  was  lost;  and  He  mingled 
freely  among  men,  that  He  might  fulfill  His  min- 
istry. Not  that  He  might  gratify  a  sensual  appe- 
tite, but  that  He  might  reach  the  people  in  their 
homes,  "  the  Son  of  Man  came  eating  and  drink- 
rag." 

He  confined  Himself  to  no  class  in  society,  but 
sought  to  help  men  of  every  condition  and  circum- 
stance into  a  higher  and  purer  atmosphere.  He 
ate  at  the  tables  of  the  rich;  He  became  known  as 
the  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners. 


A  GLADDENING  LIFE-WORK  47 

When  we  consider  the  obstacles  that  lay  in  His 
pathway  we  are  more  and  more  impressed  with 
the  earnestness  of  His  active  life.  We  are  apt 
to  think  solely  of  His  divinity,  and  to  make  that 
the  ready  solution  of  every  difficulty;  but  we  need 
to  remember  that,  while  He  was  divine,  He  was 
also  a  man,  tempted  in  all  points  like  as  we  are. 
Looking  upon  Him  in  His  humanity, — and  thus 
we  must  view  Him,  if  we  would  understand  the 
trials  through  which  He  pressed  forward  in  His 
benevolent  efforts, — we  see  discouragements  that 
would  have  proved  appalling  to  any  but  His  manly 
character.  He  aimed  at  universal  benevolence, — 
yet  He  was  a  young  man,  poverty-stricken,  the 
citizen  of  a  city  accounted  mean.  He  had  no 
influential  friends  to  introduce  Him  to  society, 
or  to  put  Him  into  position  where  He  might  apply 
the  gifts  with  which  He  was  endowed.  The  Jew- 
ish Hierarchy,  proud,  influential,  wealthy,  were 
from  the  first  His  enemies.  Rome  was  hostile  to 
the  Jewish  religion,  and  to  Him,  whom  it  regarded 
as  only  one  of  its  teachers.  The  masses,  whom 
He  most  easily  reached,  were  blinded  with  preju- 
dice, filled  with  sensual  desires,  warped  with  low 
and  ignoble  purposes.  No  man  ever  had  a  more 
gloomy  prospect  before  him  than  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth had,  from  a  human  standpoint,  when  He  went 
forth  from  His  humble  Galilean  home  on  His  un- 
selfish errand  to  a  world  smitten  and  bleeding 
under  the  curse  of  sin. 


48      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

Considered  simply  in  the  blessings  He  conferred 
upon  humanity,  by  His  discourses  and  His  works, 
the  life  of  Jesus  upon  the  earth  was  one  of  com- 
plete success,  though  to  many  onlookers  it  seemed 
to  be  spent  to  no  purpose  and  to  go  out  in  failure. 
While  we  are  far  enough  from  placing  this  perfect 
life  on  a  level  with  any  other  of  which  history 
gives  us  any  record,  we  may  say  of  it,  what  is 
often  said  of  the  lives  of  great  men,  that  it  de- 
serves to  be  studied  because  of  its  success.  No 
measure  of  success  was  ever  attained  without  a 
careful  study  of  those  elements  that  are  essential 
to  it, — and  it  is  pre-eminently  true  of  the  life  of 
Jesus  that  it  was  successful,  in  the  highest  sense, 
because  of  His  care  to  conform  Himself  to  certain 
principles  that  underlie  God's  working  always,  and 
must  underlie  man's,  if  he  would  achieve  any 
worthy  end.  As  He  is  our  Exemplar,  we  should 
be  more  careful  to  inquire  by  what  methods  He 
went  about  His  Father's  business. 

First,  we  recognize,  as  we  read  the  Gospels,  that 
He  had  definite  plans  of  usefulness,  of  which  He 
never  lost  sight.  His  was  not  a  restless  or  aimless 
existence.  He  did  not  wander  about  the  country, 
doing  only  such  good  as  came  to  His  hand.  He 
did  not  spend  an  hour's  time,  waiting  for  some- 
thing to  turn  up.  His  work  was  well  systematized 
and  arranged,  and  everything  he  did  was  timely. 
He  called  His  disciples,  instructed  them  and  sent 
them  out,  with  a  view  to  carrying  on  the  great 


A  GLADDENING  LIFE-WORK  49 

work  He  had  planned,  in  all  its  details, — and  His 
missionary  tours  through  Judea  and  Galilee  were 
systematically  arranged,  so  as  to  give  Him  readiest 
access  to  those  whom  it  was  most  needful  that  He 
should  reach.  If  he  must  needs  go  through 
Samaria,  there  was  likewise  a  needs  be  that  con- 
strained Him  to  enter  into  Capernaum,  into 
Jericho,  into  Jerusalem. 

Again,  His  activity  was  unremitting.  He  lost 
no  precious  time.  He  squandered  no  golden  hours 
in  ease  and  pleasure  seeking.  Even  His  seasons 
of  devotion  were  chosen  with  a  view  to  leaving 
time  for  contact  with  men,  after  communion  with 
God. 

"  Cold  mountains  and  the  midnight  air 
Witnessed  the  fervor  of  his  prayer." 

He  rose  up  a  great  while  before  day  to  go  into  a 
solitary  place  to  pray.  More  than  once,  perhaps, 
He  continued  all  night  in  prayer  to  God.  And 
these  seasons  of  prayer  were  followed  by  the  most 
intelligent,  persistent  and  earnest  efforts  in  well 
doing. 

Again,  His  activity  was  comprehensive  in  its 
scope.  It  embraced  contact  with  individuals,  as 
well  as  with  masses  of  men.  He  whose  time  was 
short  upon  the  earth,  and  infinitely  precious,  could 
discourse  at  length  with  a  poor,  sinful  woman, 
that  He  might  disclose  to  her,  and  then  heal,  the 
plague  spot  of  her  heart, — could  listen  patiently  to 


50      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

the  doubts  and  spiritual  perplexities  of  a  Master  in 
Israel,  and  apply  His  instruction  to  resolve  them, — 
could  seek  out  a  solitary  blind  man,  whom  He  had 
healed,  that  He  might  complete  the  cure  His  grace 
had  begun  by  opening  his  spiritual  eyes, — could 
tarry  with  the  woman  taken  in  adultery  when  all 
others  had  withdrawn  that  He  might  say  to  her, 
"  Go,  and  sin  no  more." 

The  variety  of  method  employed  by  Jesus  is  an- 
other proof  of  the  comprehensive  character  of  His 
benevolence.  Sometimes  by  the  ready  word  of 
hearty  sympathy,  He  revealed  His  kinship  to 
humanity  and  showed  how  He  could  be  touched 
with  the  feeling  of  its  infirmity.  Sometimes  by 
the  exercise  of  healing  power  He  showed  that  He 
had  more  than  pity  to  offer. — And  His  miracles  of 
healing  embraced  diseases  of  all  sorts.  Sometimes 
by  the  supply  of  daily  need  He  showed  His  com- 
passion on  the  perishing,  as  when  He  fed  the  multi- 
tude in  the  desert  and  His  disciples  by  the  shore  of 
the  sea. 

His  miracles  were  not  merely  attestations  of  His 
divinity;  they  were  wonders  of  beneficence,  de- 
signed to  reveal  the  love  of  His  heart  and  to  banish 
sorrow  and  suffering  from  those  who  were  af- 
flicted. 

He  rejoiced  in  spirit  as  He  applied  to  His 
ministry  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah,  "  The  Spirit  of 
the  Lord  God  is  upon  Me,  because  He  hath  sent 
Me  to  heal  the  broken  hearted."     It  gave  Him  joy 


A  GLADDENING  LIFE-WORK  51 

to  lighten  the  burdens  of  others.  There  were 
gleams  of  sunlight  upon  the  dark  pathway  of  the 
man  of  sorrows  as  He  saw  the  result  of  His 
ministry  of  love  in  alleviating  sufferings  of  body 
and  of  mind.  Who  shall  say  that  His  spirit  did 
not  take  exquisite  satisfaction  in  the  joy  of  the 
widow  of  Nain, — in  the  gratitude  of  Bartimeus, — 
in  the  restored  happiness  of  the  stricken  household 
of  Bethany? 

Had  His  miracles  been  wrought  solely  to  attest 
His  divinity,  they  might  have  been  of  a  different 
character;  prodigies  of  the  supernatural  merely, 
without  relation  to  mankind; — or  even  miracles  of 
judgment.  But  the  smiting  of  the  barren  fig  tree 
is  the  only  miracle  that  can  be  pronounced  one  of 
judgment;  and  even  this  had  its  lessons  of  mercy 
for  His  disciples.  While  in  every  other  wonder  of 
His  hands  may  be  traced  designs  of  beneficence  for 
all  who  witnessed  it,  and  especially  for  those  di- 
rectly affected  by  it.  He  took  upon  Himself  our 
nature  that  He  might  heal  its  diseases.  What  an 
instructive  account  of  His  ministry  is  that  He  Him- 
self renders  to  the  disciples  of  John. — "  The  blind 
receive  their  sight,  and  the  lame  walk ;  the  lepers  are 
cleansed  and  the  deaf  hear ;  the  dead  are  raised  up 
and  the  poor  have  the  Gospel  preached  to  them; 
and  blessed  is  he  whosoever  shall  not  be  offended  in 
Me"  (Matt,  xi :  5,  6).  Matthew  says,  "And 
Jesus  went  about  all  Galilee,  teaching  in  their  syna- 
gogues and  preaching  the  Gospel  of  the  kingdom, 


52      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

and  healing  all  manner  of  sickness  and  all  manner 
of  disease  among  the  people"  (iv:23). 

It  is  worthy  of  consideration  how  He  went 
about.  Not  in  an  easy  coach,  on  a  smooth  and 
level  road,  supplied  with  all  the  modern  appliances 
of  comfort.  We  have  only  one  instance  of  His 
riding  in  any  way; — and  that  was  when  He  made 
His  triumphal  entry  into  Jerusalem  upon  an  ass. 
He  went  afoot,  over  the  burning  sands  and  under 
the  hot  sun  of  Syria.  Often,  as  when  He  reached 
Jacob's  well,  He  was  hungry  and  thirsty.  Often 
He  was  footsore  and  weary.  Often  did  the  Son 
of  man  have  not  where  to  lay  His  head. 

What  an  affecting  picture  is  that  recorded  in  the 
last  verse  of  the  7th,  taken  in  connection  with  the 
first  verse  of  the  8th  chapter  of  John's  Gospel, 
when  we  supply,  with  the  R.V.  the  important  word 
"  bat,"  which  is  omitted  in  the  A.V.  The  sen- 
tence thus  restored  ends  the  evangelist's  description 
of  a  day  of  busy  toil, — "  And  every  man  went 
unto  his  own  house;  but  Jesus  went  unto  the 
mount  of  Olives."  He  who  went  about  doing 
good  was  perhaps  the  only  one  in  that  crowded 
city  of  Jerusalem  who  had  that  night  "  not  where 
to  lay  His  head."  Gethsemane,  where  He  oft  times 
resorted,  was  as  much  His  home  as  any  spot  on 
earth. 

While  we  are  considering  the  comprehensive 
character  of  His  teaching  we  must  not  forget  how 
important  a  part  His  teaching  was  of  it;  and  how 


A  GLADDENING  LIFE-WORK  53 

wonderfully  adapted  was  His  instruction  to  the 
minds  of  His  hearers; — how  varied,  how  simple, 
yet  how  lofty. 

He  spake  the  word  to  the  multitude  as  they  were 
able  to  bear  it.  He  taught  gratuitously  a  better 
wisdom  than  the  Jewish  or  Gentile  schools  offered 
at  a  price.  His  teaching  was  plain,  and  designed 
to  be  understood  by  every  willing  mind.  His 
parables  were  wonderful.  His  maxims  were 
direct  and  practical,  though  profound.  While 
such  tenderness  and  love  breathed  in  his  very  tones 
that  men  wondered  at  the  gracious  words  that  pro- 
ceeded out  of  His  mouth. 

It  was  weary  work,  this  teaching.  Few  men 
who  live  by  manual  labor  have  any  conception  of 
the  exhaustion  caused  by  mental  toil.  They  who 
work  so  hard  in  the  fields  and  in  the  shops  often 
think  that  the  lawyer,  the  professor,  the  preacher, 
must  have  an  easy  time  of  it.  But  there  is  no 
weariness  like  brain  weariness;  and  the  Great 
Teacher  was  not  exempt  from  the  peculiar  suffer- 
ing which  nature  endures  when  the  mental  faculties 
have  been  overtaxed. 

Let  those  who  have  worn  themselves  out,  almost 
to  nervous  prostration,  under  the  mental  strain  of 
Day  School,  Sunday  School  or  Pulpit  work,  re- 
member that  He  who  went  about  doing  good  can  be 
touched  with  a  feeling  of  their  infirmities. 

Again,  consider  how  practical  was  the  benevo- 
lence of  Jesus. 


54      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

He  sought  to  bless  men  in  the  common  walks  of 
life.  He  taught  a  homely  piety.  He  inculcated 
virtues  that  were  calculated  to  make  men  better  and 
happier  in  the  spheres  where  they  were  found.  He 
counseled  trust  in  Providence.  He  eased  many 
weary  hearts  of  their  self-imposed  burdens,  as  He 
bade  them  take  no  anxious  thought  for  to-morrow. 
He  unfolded  the  treasures  of  contentment.  He 
showed  how  the  smallest  service  might  be  made 
kingly,  and  how  even  a  cup  of  cold  water,  given  in 
love,  would  be  followed  by  a  glorious  reward. 

And  how  timely  were  His  compassions !  When 
Jairus'  daughter  had  been  restored  to  life,  and  all 
were  so  astonished  at  the  miracle  as  to  be  helpless 
or  forgetful  of  a  very  needful  ministration,  He  did 
not  lose  sight  of  the  benevolence  of  daily  life,  in 
the  great  wonder  He  had  wrought.  "  He  com- 
manded that  something  be  given  her  to  eat." 

Oh,  idle  dreamer  of  good  deeds!  You  who  are 
always  panting  for  some  great  mission, — longing 
for  some  other  position  in  which  to  serve, — paint- 
ing to  your  fancy  a  pleasing  picture  of  your  useful- 
ness in  doing  good  in  some  far  off  field,  or  among 
those  who  will  understand  you  always  and  ap- 
preciate your  worth ;  but  who,  while  you  build  these 
airy  castles  of  benevolent  design,  are  overlooking 
a  thousand  opportunities  of  lightening  the  hearts  of 
others  in  your  home  and  in  your  work  day  circle, — 
who,  with  all  your  lofty  desire  to  be  a  blessing 
somewhere  else,  or  at  some  far  off  time,  can  be  un- 


A  GLADDENING  LIFE-WORK  55 

just,  ungenerous,  impatient,  self-willed,  regardless 
of  the  pain  you  inflict  upon  those  nearest  to  you, 
remember  the  daily  self-denial  and  homely,  prac- 
tical benevolence  of  Him  who  went  about  doing 
good,  and  go  and  do  thou  likewise. 

And  this  leads  us  to  our  final  thought.  In  the 
teachings  and  works  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  are  em- 
bedded the  seeds  of  beneficence  for  all  after  time. 
His  example  is  not  merely  to  be  wondered  at,  but 
to  be  imitated.  We  have  dwelt  upon  the  gifts  of 
His  humanity  chiefly,  for  in  these  only  is  He  our 
pattern.  Not  merely  unto  salvation,  but  to  patient 
continuance  in  well  doing,  does  His  voice  summon 
us,  saying, — "follow  thou  me!"  Howard 
heard  that  call,  and  left  his  princely  country  seat 
to  spend  his  life  among  the  dungeons  and  pest 
houses  of  Europe.  Mrs.  Fry  heard  it,  and  the 
prisoners  of  Newgate  were  cheered  in  their  despair. 
Wilber  force  heard  it,  and  for  20  years  his  fortune 
and  his  energies  were  devoted,  amid  untold  opposi- 
tion and  insult,  to  the  emancipation  of  the  slave. 
Florence  Nightingale,  Clara  Barton,  Edith  Cavell 
heard  it,  and  loved  not  their  lives  unto  death. 
Brainard,  Judson,  Elliot,  Williams,  Livingston, 
Paton  and  a  growing  multitude  of  like-minded 
heroes  heard  it ;  and  in  the  ends  of  the  earth,  and 
among  savage  men,  they  went  about  doing  good. 
All  missionary  operations  are  the  outgrowth  of  the 
Gospel.  Red  Cross  Relief,  Y.  M.  C.  A.  activities 
in  the  trenches  and  in  the  camps,  find  in  Jesus  of 


56      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

Nazareth  their  inspiration  and  their  support. 
Hospitals,  asylums,  and  varied  public  charities,  are 
becoming  world-wide,  as  His  spirit  asserts  its 
power  over  the  hearts  of  men.  Woman  in  Gospel 
lands  takes  her  God-given  place,  as  man's  choicest 
gift  from  heaven,  and  finds  her  ample  sphere,  not 
in  noisy  clamoring  for  rights,  however  legitimate, 
but  in  the  home,  where  none  may  have  such  far- 
reaching  and  lasting  power  for  good,  and  in  the 
Church  of  the  living  God,  where  her  help  is  increas- 
ingly exerted  in  manifold  and  loving  ministrations. 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  has  left  the  earth;  but  His 
footsteps  remain  in  it,  and  in  them  we  may  all 
tread  to  the  end  of  life.  Let  those  who  covet 
earth's  empty  honors  obtain  their  baubles ;  let  those 
who  enjoy  the  satisfaction  of  sinful  pleasures  drink 
their  fill;  but  let  every  follower  of  Jesus  realize 
that  he  can  win  for  himself  no  higher  meed  of 
praise,  can  attain  to  no  better  reward,  than  to  have 
it  said  of  him  at  the  last,  as  it  was  said  of  his 
Master  and  Lord,  "  He  went  about  doing  good." 


A  GLADDENING  LIFE-WORK  57 


Hold  up  thy  mirror  to  the  sun, 
And  thou  shalt  need  an  eagle's  gaze, 

So  perfectly  the  polish'd  stone 
Gives  back  the  glory  of  his  rays; 

Turn  it,  and  it  shall  paint  as  true 
The  soft  green  of  the  vernal  earth, 

And  each  small  flower  of  bashful  hue, 
That  closest  hides  its  lowly  birth. 

Our  mirror  is  a  blessed  book, 
Where,  out  from  each  illumined  page 

We  see  one  glorious  Image  look 
All  eyes  to  dazzle  and  engage. 

The  Son  of  God;  and  that  indeed 

We  see  him  as  He  is,  we  know, 
Since  in  the  same  bright  glass  we  read 

The  very  life  of  things  below. 

Keble. 


IV 
JOY  AT  THE  WELL-SIDE 

WHEN  Jesus  told  the  Samaritan  woman  of 
the  living  fountain  within  the  heart, 
springing  up  into  everlasting  life,  she 
cried  out  in  rapture,  "  Give  me  this  water !  "  We 
readily  recognize  her  misconception;  but  her  lan- 
guage is  none  the  less  appropriate  to  express  our 
spiritual  needs.  Jesus  spoke  to  her  of  living  water. 
He  speaks  more  plainly  to  us.  She  mistook  his 
meaning.  We  cannot  well  do  so.  The  blessings 
of  the  Gospel  are  so  frequently  symbolized  in  the 
Scriptures  under  the  figure  of  water  that  our  minds 
have  become  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  imagery. 
When  Isaiah  cries,  "  with  joy  shall  ye  draw  water 
out  of  the  wells  of  salvation  ";  when  Jeremiah  re- 
bukes his  people  for  forsaking  the  fountain  of  liv- 
ing waters;  when  Zechariah  prophesies  of  a  "  foun- 
tain opened  to  the  house  of  David  .  .  .  for  sin 
and  for  uncleanness  " ;  when  Jesus  says,  "if  any 
man  thirst  let  him  come  unto  Me  and  drink;"  and 
when  the  final  invitation  sounds  from  the  sacred 
oracles,  "  whosoever  will,  let  him  take  the  water  of 
life  freely,"  the  same  thing  is  meant,  the  grace  of 

58 


JOY  AT  THE  WELL-SIDE  59 

God  in  Christ,  which,  like  a  hidden  well,  springs  up 
in  the  hearts  of  believers  into  everlasting  life. 

It  is  a  blessed  day  for  the  soul  when  this  con- 
scious thirst  for  spiritual  things  takes  possession  of 
it.  Man  does  not  naturally  possess  it,  though  he 
thirsts  from  the  earliest  years  of  his  experience. 
He  is  above  all  things  a  creature  of  desire.  He 
reaches  out  in  every  possible  direction  for  some- 
thing to  stay  the  ardent  longing  of  his  spirit;  but 
though  his  mind  is  capable  of  being  entertained  in 
an  endless  variety  of  pursuits,  there  is  absolutely 
nothing  of  an  earthly  nature  that  will  long  satisfy 
his  wants.  "  Who  will  show  us  any  good  ?  "  is 
the  feverish  cry  of  the  restless  soul,  as  it  turns  from 
one  side  to  another,  tasting  the  unsatisfying  waters 
of  broken  cisterns.  Now  Christ  offers  Himself 
to  the  thirsting  soul,  not  that  he  may  stamp  out  of 
the  heart  all  its  deep  yearnings  after  happiness  and 
bid  it  thirst  no  more  at  all.  The  religion  of  Jesus 
is  not  designed  to  make  men  dull  and  senseless, 
without  emotion  or  aspiration; — lifeless  clods  in- 
stead of  living,  longing,  immortal  beings.  But  it 
comes  into  the  heart  to  change  the  current  of  these 
deep  desires,  while  it  purifies  and  intensifies  them. 
It  stays  the  earthly  thirst,  while  it  stimulates  the 
heavenly.  "  He  that  drinketh  of  this  water,"  says 
Jesus,  referring  to  the  water  of  Jacob's  well,  "  shall 
thirst  again," — and  the  same  is  true  of  all  those 
earthly  things  with  which  men  seek  to  slake  the 
spirit's  longings.     Like  the  waters  of  the  sea,  the 


60      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

streams  of  worldly  pleasure  only  intensify  the  burn- 
ing thirst  of  him  who  quaffs  them.  "  But  whoso- 
ever drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him," 
continues  the  Savior,  "  shall  never  thirst ;  but  the 
water  that  I  shall  give  him  shall  be  in  him  a  well  of 
water,  springing  up  into  everlasting  life."  The 
soul  still  thirsts  after  it  has  turned  to  Christ;  but  it 
thirsts  at  the  Fountain,  where  its  ever  increasing 
needs  may  be  continually  and  abundantly  satisfied. 

It  is  a  bitter  thing  to  thirst  without  having  the 
refreshing  waters  that  the  parched  lips  desire;  but 
thirst  is  a  boon  when  we  have  the  means  of  satis- 
fying it.  So  fond  of  the  waters  of  the  Nile  are 
the  Arabs  that  they  are  said  to  eat  salt  that  their 
thirst  may  be  stimulated  to  demand  larger  and 
larger  draughts.  But  no  Bedouin  is  so  extrava- 
gant in  his  fondness  for  the  waters  of  this  famous 
river  that  he  will  venture  thus  to  whet  his  thirst 
when  buried  in  the  heart  of  the  desert. 

But  as  the  world's  great  Physician  represses  the 
thirst  of  His  sin-sick  patients  for  those  delights  that 
can  never  be  obtained  in  their  fulness,  and  that  fail 
to  satisfy,  He  increases  their  longing  for  the  waters 
of  life. 

Dr.  Chalmers  has  a  striking  sermon  on  the  "  ex- 
pulsive power  of  a  new  affection."  The  mind  ab- 
sorbed in  a  new  passion  forgets  its  former  joys, 
and  even  its  former  sorrows.  Isaac  mourned  for 
Sarah,  his  mother ;  but  when  he  found  Rebekah  the 
record  is  "  She  became  his  wife  and  he  loved  her; 


JOY  AT  THE  WELL-SIDE  61 

and  Isaac  was  comforted  after  his  mother's  death." 
If  the  religion  of  Jesus  did  not  offer  to  the  soul 
better  things  than  it  dispossesses  it  of,  it  would 
appeal  to  it  in  vain.  If  there  was  truth  at  the 
bottom  of  the  bungling  explanation  of  the  old 
philosophers  of  physical  science  that  "  Nature  ab- 
hors a  vacuum,"  it  is  no  less  true  of  the  human 
heart.  "  If  any  man  love  the  world,  the  love  of  the 
Father  is  not  in  him"  (i  John  ii :  15 ) .  Hence 
our  Savior  has  said,  "  Blessed  are  they  that  do 
hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness,  for  they 
shall  be  filled"  (Matt.  v:6). 

The  blessedness  of  attaining  a  thirst  for  spiritual 
things  is  two-fold.  First,  it  centers  the  affections 
and  desires  upon  one  object.  It  presents  Christ  as 
a  never  failing  source  of  supply.  It  bids  the  soul, 
weary  in  its  vain  quest  for  satisfaction  in  ten 
thousand  different  directions  find  happiness  and 
rest  in  Him;  and,  secondly,  it  teaches  it  to  find  in 
Him  a  never  failing  source  of  satisfaction.  The 
soul  may  thirst  after  Him  to  all  eternity ;  its  long- 
ings shall  be  satisfied,  moment  by  moment. 

What  the  heavenly  thirst  after  Christ  may  be  we 
do  not  know;  but  we  can  analyze  our  present  de- 
sires after  Him  and  recognize  the  elements  that 
enter  into  our  spiritual  thirst.  We  know  what  it 
is  our  souls  must  have.  They  need  pardon;  and 
Jesus  only  can  say,  "  Thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee." 
They  need  support ;  and  He  says,  "  My  grace  is 
sufficient  for  thee."     They  need  purification;  and 


62      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  us  from  all 
sin."  They  need  companionship ;  and  He  says,  "  I 
will  never  leave  thee,  nor  forsake  thee."  ..."  Lo, 
I  am  with  you  alway."  There  is  absolutely  no  use 
to  which  natural  waters  may  be  applied  which  may 
not  find  some  spiritual  analogy  in  the  waters  of 
salvation.  The  water  that  Christ  gives  satisfies 
the  thirst  of  the  soul;  it  refreshes  the  drooping 
spirit;  it  cleanses  its  sin-stains;  it  heals  its  sick- 
nesses; it  beautifies  it  with  a  glory  not  its  own;  it 
reclaims  it  from  barrenness  and  makes  it  to  bring 
forth,  in  goodly  clusters,  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit; 
it  flows  freely,  abundantly,  unceasingly,  within  the 
heart,  springing  up  into  everlasting  life. 

"  Plenteous  grace  with  Thee  is  found ; 

Grace  to  pardon  all  my  sin. 
Let  the  healing  streams  abound ; 

Make  and  keep  me  pure  within. 
Thou  of  life  the  Fountain  art; 

Freely  let  me  take  of  Thee ; 
Spring  Thou  up  within  my  heart; 

Rise  to  all  eternity  !  " 

Well  may  every  thirsting  soul  cry,  "  Give  me  this 
water." 

Again,  the  woman's  prayer  is  appropriate,  in 
that  it  is  addressed  to  the  right  Person.  To  the 
woman  of  Samaria,  the  stranger  who  sat  on  Jacob's 
well  gave  little  promise  in  His  appearance  of  con- 
ferring any  benefit  upon  her.  What  strange  con- 
trasts appear  in  Him  as  we  view  Him  sitting  on  the 


JOY  AT  THE  WELL  SIDE  63 

well-curb  at  Sychar!  He  is  weary;  yet  He  prom- 
ises rest  to  all  who  are  weary  and  heavy  laden. 
He  thirsts;  yet  He  promises  to  satisfy  the  thirst  of 
all  who  will  receive  the  living  water  from  Him. 
He  asks  for  a  drink  of  water;  yet  He  offers  to  give 
water  that  no  one  else  can  give.  He  hungers ;  yet 
He  has  meat  to  eat  of  which  no  one  knows  but  He. 
He  is  an  obscure,  unknown,  poverty-stricken  man ; 
yet  greater  than  the  patriarch  who  had  dug  this 
well,  and  whose  name  was  venerated  above  all 
others  in  this  region  of  Samaria.  Yet  we,  who 
have  been  instructed  in  the  Gospel,  have  found  the 
solution  of  all  these  paradoxes.  This  stranger, 
unknown,  unrevealed  as  yet  to  the  Samaritan 
woman,  is  no  stranger  to  us.  His  claims  have  been 
vindicated  ten  thousand  times.  He  is  able  to  ful- 
fill all  these  gracious  promises,  and  He  is  as  willing 
as  He  is  mighty  to  save.  Jesus  alone  can  impart 
this  water  of  life.  Christian  believers  may  them- 
selves be  filled  with  divine  grace ;  but  they  have  no 
power  to  bestow  it  upon  others.  The  wise  virgins 
had  no  oil  to  spare  for  their  foolish  sisters.  And 
Christ  will  pour  forth  the  refreshing  streams  from 
the  wells  of  salvation  only  to  him  who  with  a  deep 
sense  of  his  spirit's  thirst  cries  out  to  Him,  "  Give 
me  this  water." 

A  few  years  ago  I  visited  a  great  cathedral  in 
the  city  of  Montreal.  It  was  fitted  with  the  usual 
appliances  of  Romish  worship.  Among  other 
things,    I    noticed    the    apartments    built    around 


64      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

the  sides  of  the  room;  little  closets,  each  intended 
for  a  separate  priest,  who  there  heard  confession  of 
sins,  and  granted  so-called  absolution.  But,  over 
one  of  these  confessionals  there  was  a  notice  that 
the  priest  who  usually  officiated  there  was  absent. 
How  disappointing  to  the  crowds  who  were 
accustomed  to  come  to  this  place  of  supposed  sanc- 
tity to  be  informed  that  the  confessor  was  away 
from  home,  and  that  they  must  therefore  seek  some 
other  priest  to  give  them  spiritual  relief;  or  must 
wait  until  their  favorite  confessor  returned!  But 
what  suppliant  ever  approached  the  Mercy  Seat, 
where  Jesus  waits  to  bless,  and  read  such  words  as 
these  ?  Rather,  the  words  there  recorded  are  :  "  I 
will  give  unto  him  that  is  athirst  of  the  fountain  of 
the  water  of  life  freely"  (Rev.  xxxi:6).  "Ho, 
everyone  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters  " 
(Isa.  iv:  i). 

John  says  of  his  vision  of  heavenly  things,  "  He 
showed  me  a  pure  river  of  water  of  life,  clear  as 
crystal,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God  and 
of  the  Lamb"  (Rev.  xxii :  i).  The  blessings  of 
the  Gospel  come  from  a  lofty  source;  but  while  the 
throne  of  God  stands  that  river  shall  flow  on  for 
the  refreshment  and  cleansing  of  all  the  weary  and 
sin-stained  sons  of  men.  It  is  with  us  as  with 
Israel  in  the  desert,  "  for  they  drank  of  that  spirit- 
ual Rock  that  followed  them;  and  that  Rock  was 
Christ"  (i  Cor.  x:4).  We  need  never  fear  that 
like  the  stream  of  Cherith  the  waters  shall  fail. 


JOY  AT  THE  WELL-SIDE  65 

Every  morning  as  we  refresh  our  spirits  with  a 
Scripture  promise  and  "  with  joy  draw  waters  out 
of  the  wells  of  salvation,"  or  drink  at  the  well- 
spring  of  prayer,  we  find  the  stream  undiminished 
and  its  life-giving,  healing  virtues  unimpaired. 
"  And  the  Spirit  and  the  Bride  say,  Come ;  and  let 
him  that  heareth  say,  Come;  and  let  him  that  is 
athirst,  come.  And  whosoever  will,  let  him  take 
the  water  of  life  freely"  (Rev.  xxii :  17). 

Again,  the  language  of  the  woman  expresses 
personal  need.  "  Give  me  this  water."  The  cry  of 
thirst  is  always  personal;  though  it  need  not  be 
selfish.  Sir  Philip  Sydney  refused  the  cup  that  a 
dying  comrade  needed  more  than  he;  but  though 
his  great  heart  throbbed  with  joy  in  the  pleasure  of 
his  magnanimous  purpose,  the  fever  burned  none 
the  less  fiercely  in  his  own  veins  and  his  parched 
lips  still  craved  the  draught  they  so  nobly  sent  from 
them.  The  woman  of  Samaria  knew  that  in  the 
city  there  were  many  to  whom  the  gift  of  an  unfail- 
ing well  would  be  as  great  a  boon  as  to  herself. 
But  she  felt  her  own  need  to  be  pressing;  for  the 
sore  of  her  wretched  life  had  been  opened  afresh; 
and  out  of  a  desolate  heart  that  knew  its  own  bit- 
terness, though  it  comprehended  as  yet  but  blindly 
the  manner  of  relief  promised  by  this  mysterious 
Stranger,  she  cried,  "  Give  me  this  water,  that  I 
thirst  not."  It  was  not  with  her  as  with  the  dying 
hero  of  the  battle-field  or  with  the  famine-stricken 
inmates  of  a  besieged  fortress.     She  did  not  de- 


66      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

prive  others  of  their  share  of  a  scanty  supply  by 
asking  water  first  for  herself.  The  blessings  of 
the  Gospel  are  for  them  that  thirst;  and  they  only 
can  be  filled  who  cry  out  to  Christ,  in  conscious 
dependence  and  longing,  "Give  me  this  water!" 
It  is  only  when  He  has  been  found,  by  personal  ex- 
perience, to  satisfy  all  the  deep  wants  of  the  soul, 
that  we  can  hasten  to  others  and  say,  "  Come,  see  a 
man  that  told  me  all  that  ever  I  did." 

"  His  blood  can  make  the   foulest  clean ; 
His  blood  availed  for  me." 

What  contrasts  are  suggested  between  the  water 
of  Jacob's  well  and  the  water  of  life!  The  water 
of  the  well  lay  far  beneath  the  surface.  It  must  be 
drawn  up  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  by  painful 
effort.  The  living  water  springs  up  within,  a  per- 
petual fountain,  spontaneous  and  fresh,  ever  ready 
for  the  thirsty  lips.  The  water  of  the  well  was 
without  the  city.  Those  who  had  need  must  go  out 
to  draw  it;  as  man  is  ever  going  out  of  himself  for 
happiness.  The  living  water  is  in  the  heart.  He 
who  has  it  shall  be  satisfied  in  his  own  spirit ;  for 
"  the  kingdom  of  God  is  within  you  "  (Luke  xvii : 
21 ).  The  water  of  the  well  would  one  day  cease 
to  flow.  It  is  to-day  choked  up  with  stones  and 
debris;  the  object  of  curiosity  to  the  inquiring 
traveller  in  Palestine,  but  affording  no  supply  to 
those  who  thirst,  as  they  peer  into  its  dark  and  for- 
bidden depths.     The  living  water  is  eternal.     Time 


JOY  AT  THE  WELL-SIDE  67 

does  not  change  its  freshness,  its  purity  or  its  con- 
stant flow ;  and  it  will  spring  up  within 

"While  life  and  breath  and  being  last, 
Or  immortality  endures !  " 

The  living  water  is  satisfying.  "  He  that  drinketh 
of  this  water  shall  thirst  again."  How  true  we 
have  found  it  of  all  the  waters  of  earth !  But,  in 
the  failure  of  every  earthly  thing,  what  a  boon  to 
have  a  satisfying  portion; — the  water  of  life,  true 
religion  in  the  soul,  the  love  of  God  in  the  heart, 
Christ  within !     "  Give  me  this  water !  " 

We  have  read  of  a  caravan  that  was  lost  in  the 
desert.  Men  were  sent  out  in  every  direction, 
seeking  for  water.  At  length,  after  long  search- 
ing, one  lighted  upon  a  spring.  There,  in  abun- 
dance, was  the  precious  element,  for  lack  of  which 
many  were  dying.  But,  was  it  the  bitter  water  of 
the  desert,  brackish  and  salt;  or  was  it  pure  and  life 
giving?  The  finder  does  not  stay  long  to  specu- 
late. The  fever  burns  in  his  veins.  His  parched 
lips  will  hardly  permit  him  to  proclaim  his  dis- 
covery. He  stoops  and  drinks,  and  then,  with  in- 
vigorated frame  and  joyful  heart,  he  hastens  back 
to  the  perishing,  crying,  "  Water,  water,  enough 
for  all ;  come  and  drink !  " 

Come,  thirsting  spirit  at  once  to  Christ!  Utter 
the  woman's  prayer,  with  all  the  earnestness  your 
deep  need  demands,  "  Give  me  this  water !  "  And 
then,  like  the  woman  of  Samaria,  let  your  feet  be 


68      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

swift  to  bear  to  others  the  glad  tidings  of  salva- 
tion ;  "  Come  and  see !  "  .  .  .  "  Is  not  this  the 
Christ?"  (John  iv:  29). 


"  If  thou  knewest,  longing  soul, 
The  Gift  that  God  has  given ; 
How  fully  would  thy  thirst  for  joy 
Be  satisfied  from  heaven. 

If  thou  knewest,  guilty  soul, 

That,  sinful  as  thou  art, 
Compassion  fills  His  soul  for  thee, 

And  tenderness  His  heart. 

He  has  these  living  waters  still. 

He  offers  them  to  you. 
Drink ;  for  these  springs  are  ever   fresh ; 

These  wells  of  mercy  new." 


FOOD  THAT  SATISFIES 

WHEN  the  returning  disciples  urged  their 
Master  to  eat  of  the  provisions  they  had 
obtained  in  the  city  of  Sychar,  He  told 
them,   "  I   have  meat   to   eat   that   ye  know   not 
of.    .    .    .   My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  Him  that 
sent  Me,  and  to  finish  His  work." 

The  lofty  character  of  this  reply  will  be  better 
understood  if  we  remember  two  things.  First, 
the  claims  of  his  body  were  as  yet  unsatisfied.  He 
came  to  the  well  of  Sychar  at  noontide.  The  hot 
sun  of  Syria  was,  no  doubt,  pouring  down  its 
fiercest  rays.  He  was  weary  with  His  journey, 
hungry  from  His  long  fast  and  burning  with  the 
thirst  which  only  travellers  in  lands  poorly  watered 
can  know.  The  passing  hours  since  His  disciples 
had  left  Him  to  buy  meat  in  the  city  had  not 
brought  relief  to  either  His  hunger  or  His  thirst. 
No  one  had  been  with  Him,  save  the  woman  of 
Samaria.  She  had  no  meat  to  offer  Him,  and  it 
does  not  appear  that  she  gave  Him  to  drink,  even 
after  He  had  offered  her  living  water.  This  is  the 
only  recorded  request  that  Jesus  made  for  bodily 

69 


70       THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

relief  of  any  kind  during  His  active  ministry,  and 
we  are  not  told  that  it  was  granted. 

The  second  fact  that  we  need  to  consider  is  that 
our  Lord  was  not  an  ascetic.  He  did  not  ignore 
the  wants  of  the  body,  nor  strive  to  stamp  out  its 
normal  appetites.  He  was  neither  gluttonous  nor 
a  wine-bibber;  but,  notwithstanding,  "  The  Son  of 
man  came  eating  and  drinking."  His  example 
gave  sanction  to  the  maxim  His  great  apostle  has 
left  us,  Every  creature  of  God  is  good,  if  received 
with  thanksgiving.  He  was  present  at  a  marriage 
ceremony  and  furnished  wine  for  the  guests.  He 
accepted  an  invitation  to  a  great  feast,  where  He 
ate  and  drank  with  publicans  and  sinners. 

It  was  not,  then,  either  because  our  Savior  had 
broken  His  long  fast  or  that  He  had  any  scruples 
about  satisfying  His  hunger  that  He  replied  to  His 
disciples,  "  I  have  meat  to  eat  that  ye  know  not  of." 
"  Man  shall  not  live  by  bread  alone  "  had  been  the 
words  of  Jesus  to  the  tempter  in  the  desert.  There 
He  had  pointed  to  the  word  of  God  as  food  for  the 
soul.  Here  He  speaks  of  the  service  of  obedience 
as  soul  satisfying.  Hunger  and  thirst  were  for 
the  time  ignored,  because  the  Son  of  man  had  ex- 
perienced the  expulsive  power  of  a  stronger  appe- 
tite. The  spiritual  conquests  before  him  overcame 
the  clamors  of  the  body. 

Absorption  in  some  favorite  pursuit  has  often 
deadened  the  sensibilities  of  men  to  the  claims  of 
the  body. 


FOOD  THAT  SATISFIES  71 

When  the  great  painting  in  the  rotunda  of  the 
Capitol  at  Washington  was  under  way,  the  artist 
often  forgot  his  dinner  which  was  daily  placed  near 
him.  John  Opie,  when  a  lad,  used  to  rise  at  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  denying  his  body  rest,  that 
he  might  draw  sketches  with  chalk  and  charcoal. 
James  Ferguson,  when  a  poor  boy,  unknown  to 
fame,  felt  the  same  ruling  spirit.  Often,  after 
toiling  all  day,  though  he  was  of  feeble  frame,  he 
would  go  out  at  night  into  the  fields,  with  a  blanket 
about  him  and  a  lighted  candle  and  there,  lying  on 
his  back,  pursue  for  long  hours  the  movements  of 
the  heavenly  bodies,  stretching  a  thread  with  small 
beads  upon  it  between  his  eye  and  the  stars  that  he 
might  measure  their  apparent  distances  from  one 
another.  The  claims  of  the  body  were  forgotten, 
for  the  spirit  was  in  rapture.  David  Livingstone, 
buried  in  the  heart  of  Africa,  sick  and  weary  with 
his  many  years  of  exploration  refused,  when  relief 
came,  to  go  home  to  all  the  comforts  of  civilized 
life.  He  was  willing  to  sacrifice  himself,  if  he 
might  heal  the  sore  spot  of  a  sin-smitten  world. 

To  all  who  take  true  views  of  human  life,  the 
body  is  a  slave,  and  not  the  master.  The  spirit 
must  have  dominion,  if  the  man  is  to  achieve  any 
worthy  end  in  life.  The  body  is  only  the  instru* 
ment  through  which  the  immortal  part  of  man  does 
his  work;  and  often  the  absorption  of  the  soul  in 
a  great  work  forbids  the  indulgence  of  the  appe- 
tites.    The  master  has   food  to  eat  the  servant 


72      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

knows  not  of.  The  body  must  wait.  Abraham's 
servant  would  not  eat,  until  he  had  told  his  errand. 
Samuel  would  not  sit  down  to  meat  until  he  had 
anointed  David.  With  Jesus  this  dominion  of  the 
spirit  was  absolute :  and  the  food  his  soul  feasted 
upon  was  the  loftiest  of  all  service  and  the  most 
congenial  to  his  heart.  It  was  hunger  of  spirit 
that  brought  him  from  heaven  to  earth.  He  could 
truly  say,  "  I  delight  to  do  Thy  will,  O  my  God ; 
yea,  Thy  law  is  within  my  heart." 

He  came  to  do  His  Father's  will;  yet  so  perfectly 
were  He  and  His  Father  one  that  the  love  that  sent 
and  the  love  that  brought  were  equal.  Both  were 
infinite.  He  did  the  Father's  will  when  the  worlds 
were  made  by  Him  yet  creation's  wide  domain  did 
not  satisfy  a  Savior's  love.  Before  His  incarna- 
tion He  rejoiced  in  the  habitable  parts  of  the  earth 
and  His  delights  were  with  the  sons  of  men  (Prov. 
viii :  31 ).  Though  the  stars  of  a  universe  lay  scat- 
tered like  diamonds  upon  the  robe  of  night,  the 
Lord  of  glory  found  not  among  them  all  the  one 
treasure  most  dear  to  His  heart.  A  lost  world  was 
wandering  from  its  place  into  the  blackness  of 
darkness,  and  to  go  after  it  and  restore  it  was  the 
mission  he  assumed. 

The  motive  power  that  impelled  Him  forward  in 
every  step  of  His  way  was  love.  Man,  the  one 
prodigal  of  the  great  family  of  God,  must  be  re- 
stored. The  ninety  and  nine  of  the  heavenly  fold 
were  as  dear  as  ever  to  the  heart  of  Infinite  Love; 


FOOD  THAT  SATISFIES  73 

but  the  one  that  had  strayed  filled  that  heart  with 
solicitude,  and  nothing  could  so  stir  it  as  the  an- 
swering call  of  the  sheep  He  had  lost. 

Devotion  to  toil  is  not  enough  in  itself  to  stamp 
man's  character  with  nobility.  Some  men  neglect 
the  appetites  of  the  body,  only  to  feed  the  more 
imperious  appetites  of  the  spirit  in  pride,  avarice 
or  ambition.  Some  men  wrap  themselves  in  toil- 
some labors  only  to  escape  painful  memories.  But 
Jesus  Christ  entered  upon  His  life-work  under  the 
impulse  of  motives  known  only  to  infinite  love. 
The  work  of  winning  souls  was  His  meat  and  His 
drink.  His  spirit  had  just  been  refreshed  as  it  re- 
joiced over  the  woman  of  Samaria,  now  won  to  re- 
pentance; and  hungered  for  the  more  ample  feast 
of  a  city  filled  with  sinners  whose  souls  were  just 
as  precious  as  was  hers.  This  pleasure  loving 
woman  was  the  first  fruits  of  His  mission  to 
Sychar,  and  the  fields  white  to  the  harvest  toward 
which  He  pointed  His  wondering  disciples  were 
not  those  of  nature  but  of  grace.  Perhaps  by  this 
time  the  company  of  Samaritans  was  in  sight,  an- 
swering the  call  of  the  woman  who  said  to  them : 
"  Come,  see  a  man  which  told  me  all  things  that 
ever  I  did."  "  They  went  out  of  the  city,"  we  are 
told,  "  and  came  unto  Him."  "  The  divine  fisher 
of  men  has  just  felt  the  tugging  of  a  vigorous  life 
upon  His  line,  and  as  the  prize  is  secured  He  is 
eager  to  cast  in  again  and  again  where  a  shoal  is 
passing  by."     What  wonder  that  in  such  heavenly 


74      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

employment  the  Savior  could  say  to  the  disciples, 
as  yet  uninitiated  into  this  heavenly  art,  unac- 
quainted with  the  hunger  that  consumed  the  winner 
of  souls,  or  the  joys  of  redeeming  love,  "  I  have 
meat  to  eat  that  ye  know  not  of?  " 

There  was  a  divine  "  needs  be  "  that  directed  the 
Savior's  steps  to  Samaria.  The  controlling 
reasons  were  neither  geographical  nor  political. 
Sovereign  grace  had  marked  this  spot  as  one  in 
which  to  display  its  power.  It  was  an  unlikely 
hour  at  which  to  meet  any  of  the  people.  And  it 
would  seem  that  this  woman,  of  irregular  life,  was 
the  least  likely  person  to  fulfill  the  Savior's  desires 
as  He  came  to  that  well-side,  seeking  to  save.  But 
divine  wisdom  had  seen  all,  arranged  all.  The 
hunger  of  the  Son  of  man  was  not  to  be  unsatis- 
fied. Here  He  found  food  richer  than  angels  eat ; 
and,  as  He  tasted  of  it  He  said,  "  My  meat  is  to  do 
the  will  of  Him  that  sent  Me."  Perhaps  He  had 
been  long  fasting  in  spirit  when  He  came  to  Jacob's 
well.  We  know  that  He  was  driven  from  Jeru- 
salem by  the  envy  and  malice  of  the  Pharisees, 
who  could  not  bear  to  hear  it  said  that  He  made 
and  baptized  more  disciples  than  John  the  Baptist. 
Penetrating  the  strange  and  inhospitable  region  of 
Samaria,  He  carried  with  Him  the  same  longing 
for  souls  that  had  possessed  Him  at  Jerusalem,  and 
when  He  found  a  lost  sinner  who  was  willing  to 
listen  to  His  message  of  salvation,  His  joy  was 
like  that  of  one  who,  after  long  fasting,  is  called  to 


FOOD  THAT  SATISFIES  75 

sit  down  to  a  feast.  Jesus  would  gladly  have 
slaked  His  thirst  at  Jacob's  well  but  there  was  a 
deeper  thirst  in  His  heart  of  love,  and  as  He 
stooped  to  drink  of  the  answering  love  of  a  sinner 
His  grace  had  saved,  His  joy  was  so  great  that 
hunger  and  thirst  of  the  body  were  forgotten.  Dr. 
Arnot  relates  a  story  in  apt  illustration : 

"  A  traveller  lost  his  way  in  an  Eastern  desert. 
His  provisions  were  exhausted,  and  he  had  already 
wandered  about  for  several  days  without  food, 
when  he  descried  under  a  palm-tree  on  his  track 
the  marks  of  a  recent  encampment.  He  ap- 
proached the  spot,  tremulous  with  hope.  He 
found  a  bag  which  the  travellers  had  left  behind, 
filled  with  something  that  appeared  to  be  dates. 
He  opened  it  eagerly  expecting  to  satisfy  his 
hunger;  when  lo,  it  contained  only  pearls !  He  sat 
down  and  wept.  What  are  pearls  to  a  man  who  is 
dying  for  bread  ?  "  "  Jesus,"  continues  this  fasci- 
nating expositor,  "  is  Lord  of  all.  Those  glorious 
stars  that  stud  the  heavens  are  all  His.  They  are 
the  jewels  which  belong  to  His  crown.  He  values 
them;  but  they  do  not  satisfy  His  soul.  To  Christ 
these  shining  orbs  are  like  the  pearls  to  the  fainting 
traveller  in  the  desert.  They  are  precious  and 
pure;  but  he  cannot  live  upon  them.  Christ  does 
not  need  to  redeem  those  bright  worlds  and  those 
unfallen  angels,  and  they  cannot  therefore  satisfy 
His  appetite.  To  seek  the  strayed,  to  redeem  the 
lost,  to  renew  the  fallen,  to  lay  down  His  life  for 


76      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

them,  this  is  His  meat;  and  for  this  food  He  must 
pass  through  those  shining  worlds."  And  we  may 
add,  insignificant  as  is  our  little  world  among  the 
great  family  of  stars,  it  will  forever  shine  con- 
spicuous in  the  vault  of  heaven,  while  the  material 
universe  remains,  as  the  one  world  where  the  Lord 
of  glory  "  for  the  joy  that  was  set  before  Him  en- 
dured the  cross,  despising  the  shame." 

We  have  seen  how,  when  the  seventy  returned, 
rehearsing  the  result  of  their  mission,  Jesus  re- 
joiced in  spirit,  and  bade  them  rejoice  that  their 
names  were  written  in  heaven.;  and  then,  as  with  a 
spiritual  hunger  whetted  for  souls,  He  burst  out 
with  that  loving  invitation,  upon  which  a  perishing 
world  has  been  feasting  ever  since, — "  Come  unto 
Me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden  and  I  will 
give  you  rest." 

When  Zaccheus  was  called  from  the  sycamore 
tree  by  the  roadside,  he  came  down  and  received 
Jesus  joyfully.  But  Jesus  received  Zaccheus  joy- 
fully too.  His  appetite  was  not  to  be  disappointed 
in  that  busy,  pleasure  loving  city.  "  For  the  Son 
of  man  was  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which 
was  lost." 

This  is  the  explanation  of  all  our  Savior's  en- 
durance in  life  and  of  His  patient  suffering  upon 
the  cross.  Hunger  brought  Him  from  heaven. 
Hunger  impelled  Him  forward  to  Calvary.  Hun- 
ger caused  Him  to  weep,  like  the  traveller  in  the 
desert  over  his  useless  pearls,  as  He  looked  upon 


FOOD  THAT  SATISFIES  77 

the  glittering  domes  of  the  Holy  City  and  thought 
of  the  multitudes  His  love  could  not  save.  "  I 
have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized  with,"  He  cried  on 
His  way  to  Jerusalem  to  suffer,  "  and  how  am  I 
straitened  till  it  be  accomplished !  " 

There  are  other  ends  met  in  eating  beside  the 
gratification  of  the  appetite.  Bodily  strength  is  re- 
newed; the  whole  frame  is  refreshed  and  invigo- 
rated; even  the  spirit  feels  the  impulse  of  a  new 
life;  and  the  faculties  that  were  dull  and  listless 
while  the  body  was  famished  are  sharpened  for 
duty,  as  it  was  with  Jonathan  in  the  wood  when  he 
cried,  "  See  how  mine  eyes  have  been  enlightened 
because  I  tasted  a  little  of  this  honey!"  (i  Sam. 
xiv:  29).  Whether  Jesus  thus  went  from  strength 
to  strength,  as  He  gathered  in  souls  during  His 
earthly  ministry,  it  is  assuredly  true  that  thus 
we  may  become  spiritually  strong,  and  thus  will  our 
eyes  be  opened  to  see  spiritual  truths  hidden  from 
those  who  are  not  workers  together  with  Christ  in 
winning  men.  Perhaps  you  are  weak,  fainting  in 
the  way,  doubtful  of  your  own  acceptance  with 
God,  tempted  to  give  up  the  struggle  and  go  back 
to  the  world.  And  you  say  that  you  have  tried  in 
vain  to  feed  upon  the  word,  upon  prayer,  upon 
Christian  fellowship,  upon  the  ordinances  of  the 
sanctuary.  Try  one  thing  more,  my  brother. 
Seek  to  save  souls.  Seek  them  by  the  light  of  a 
godly  example,  seek  them  by  prayer,  seek  them  by 
earnest,  timely  and  loving  solicitation ;  and  as  your 


78      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

hunger  for  the  lost  is  met,  your  faith  in  God  will 
be  strengthened  and  your  zest  for  duty  renewed. 

There  is  no  better  way  to  dispel  the  mists  of 
doubt  than  to  be  in  earnest  in  doing  good.  Like 
the  Master  you  may  learn  to  say,  "  My  meat  is  to 
do  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  Me  and  finish  His 
work." 

Jesus  rejoiced  in  the  prospect  of  a  finished  work. 
To  accomplish  that  work  was  His  meat;  to  enter 
into  His  spirit  and  to  labor  to  secure  the  results  of 
His  sacrifice  may  well  be  ours. 

Yet  Jesus  has  other  food  for  us  too.  We  can- 
not live  upon  toil  alone.  And  to  prepare  us  for 
toil,  and  to  enable  us  to  take  a  hunger-like  relish 
in  it,  he  gathers  us  into  the  sanctuary  and  bids  us 
feast  upon  His  love. 

"  I  am  the  living  bread,  which  came  down  from 
heaven;  if  any  man  eat  of  this  bread  he  shall  live 
forever ;  and  the  bread  that  I  will  give  is  My  flesh, 
which  I  will  give  for  the  life  of  the  world  "  (John 
vi:5i). 


FOOD  THAT  SATISFIES  79 


Give  us  our  daily  Bread, 
O  God,  the  bread  of  strength ! 
For  we  have  learnt  to  know 
How  weak  we  are  at  length. 
As  children  we  are  weak; 
As  children  must  be  fed ; 
Give  us  thy  Grace,  O  Lord, 
To  be  our  daily  Bread. 

Give  us  our  daily  Bread, 
To  cheer  our  fainting  soul ; 
The  feast  of  comfort,  Lord, 
And  peace,  to  make  us  whole; 
For  we  are  sick  of  tears, 
The  useless  tears  we  shed ; — 
Now  give  us  comfort,  Lord, 
To  be  our  daily  Bread. 

Give  us  our  daily  Bread, 
The  Bread  of  angels,  Lord, 
By  us  so  many  times, 
Broken,  betrayed,  adored ; 
His  Body  and  His  Blood; — 
The  feast  that  Jesus  spread; 
Give  HIM, — our  life,  our  all — 
To  be  our  daily  Bread. 

Adelaide  A.  Procter. 


VI 
GLAD  TIDINGS  AT  NAZARETH 

WE  have  already  recognized  the  foregleams 
of  rejoicing  seen  in  the  prophets  con- 
cerning the  Messiah.  That  was  a  "  joy- 
ful hour  "  at  Nazareth  when  Jesus  opened  the  roll 
of  the  prophet  Isaiah,  and  read  these  words; — 
"  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  He 
hath  anointed  Me  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor ; 
He  hath  sent  Me  to  heal  the  brokenhearted,  to 
preach  deliverance  to  the  captives  and  recovering 
of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are 
bruised,  to  preach  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord." 
Passages  of  Scripture  such  as  this  are  like  full 
honeycombs,  running  over  with  the  sweetness  of 
the  Gospel.  They  are  like  the  vines  of  Eshcol, 
bearing  goodly  clusters.  They  are  as  a  bundle  of 
myrrh;  and  though  unbound  by  unskillful  hands, 
the  fragrance  fills  the  house.  The  teacher  or  the 
writer  sinks  out  of  sight,  but  Christ  cannot  be  hid. 
The  singer  may  be  forgotten;  but  the  song  abides 
in  the  heart.  Let  us  share  in  the  joy  of  the  Lord 
as  we  seek  to  unfold  these  words.  Amid  the 
abundance  of  the  material  here  set  before  us  it  is 

80 


GLAD  TIDINGS  AT  NAZARETH        81 

hard  to  choose,  but  let  us  remark  first,  upon  the 
unity  of  revelation.  People  talk  about  the  differ- 
ence between  the  Old  and  the  New  Testaments,  as 
if  the  spirit  of  the  Old  were  hard  and  severe,  and 
the  spirit  of  the  New,  all  mercy  and  love.  But 
the  apparent  severity  of  the  Old  Testament  is  only 
the  necessary  limitation  that  love  finds  to  her 
manifestations  where  men  are  not  ready  to  receive 
her.  The  Old  Testament  is  not  the  New,  as  the 
bud  is  not  the  flower ;  the  dawn  is  not  the  day ;  the 
opening  strains  are  not  the  oratorio.  The  bud  may 
not  be  fragrant ;  but  sweet  will  be  the  flower — and 
without  the  bud  we  shall  not  have  it.  The  dawn  is 
dim;  but  the  noon  of  the  same  day  is  glorious. 
The  opening  notes  of  the  Gospel  may  be  heard  in 
the  Old  Testament;  the  Hallelujah  chorus  is  in 
the  New ;  but  it  is  one  song  all  the  Scripture  writers 
sing  — 

"Salvation,  Oh  the  joyful  sound!" 

And,  as  in  a  mighty  chorus,  they  whose  voices 
were  first  heard  do  not  cease  to  sing  as  others  join 
in  the  song ; — so  Moses  and  David  and  Isaiah  and 
Job  and  Ezekiel  and  Jeremiah  sing  on;  while  the 
strain  is  taken  up  by  the  Evangelists  and  Apostles 
and  by  our  blessed  Lord  Himself.  And  we  who 
hear  these  earlier  singers,  chanting  in  harmony 
with  the  words  of  Jesus  and  of  John  and  of  Paul, 
find  more  melody  in  the  sweet  strains  they  utter 
than  did  the  saints  of  an  earlier  time  who  heard 


82      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

them  sing  alone.  For  where  David  seemed  to  the 
men  of  his  own  generation  to  be  speaking  only  of 
the  glories  of  his  own  kingdom,  or  sounding  the 
praises  of  Solomon,  we  now  understand  that  he  is 
exulting  also,  and  in  larger  measure,  in  Messiah's 
kingdom  and  rule.  Where  Jeremiah  appeared  to 
be  lamenting  only  the  downfall  of  Jerusalem,  or 
exulting  in  her  recovery,  we  now  find  that  his 
mourning  applies  to  Zion's  low  estate,  and  his 
prayers  embrace  her  prosperity  in  all  the  earth. 
And  while  to  his  cotemporaries  Isaiah  seemed  only 
to  comfort  the  captives  in  Babylon  and  to  predict 
their  deliverance,  we  hear  his  voice,  blending  in 
sweet  symphony  with  that  of  the  Carpenter  of 
Nazareth,  whose  gracious  words  in  the  Synagogue 
begin  with  this  utterance, — "  The  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  is  upon  me,  because  He  hath  anointed  me  to 
preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor ;  He  hath  sent  me  to 
heal  the  brokenhearted,  to  preach  deliverance  to  the 
captives  and  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set 
at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised,  to  preach  the  ac- 
ceptable year  of  the  Lord." 

.  .  .  And  so  we  pass  to  notice  the  source  of  all 
comfort  and  joy.  It  was  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
that  inspired  David's  song,  and  touched  Isaiah's 
lips,  and  uplifted  Ezekiel  in  vision,  and  exalted 
Daniel  in  prophetic  rapture,  and  opened  the  eyes 
of  John  to  see  and  his  mouth  to  utter  the  glories 
of  the  New  Jerusalem, — and  all  for  the  comfort 
and  support  of  the  people  of  God. 


GLAD  TIDINGS  AT  NAZARETH        83 

These  holy  men  of  God  were  anointed  for  their 
ministry  as  truly  as  was  Christ,  though  to  Him 
alone  was  the  Spirit  given  without  measure.  They 
were  sent  of  God,  and  He  who  sent  them  con- 
tinues to  send  forth  His  messengers  of  comfort. 
Our  Savior  said  of  His  disciples, — "  As  Thou  hast 
sent  Me  into  the  world,  even  so  have  I  also  sent 
them  into  the  world." 

May  God  multiply  the  heralds  of  salvation  an 
hundredfold,  that  the  burdened  children  of  men 
may  know  all  the  comforts  of  the  Gospel.  "  Let 
him  that  heareth  say,  Come,  and  every  one  that 
hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto 
the  churches"  (Rev.  xxii :  17;  ii :  7 )  - 

How  appropriate  does  it  seem  that  Jesus  speaks 
these  comforting  words  at  Nazareth,  where  He  had 
been  brought  up !  And  it  was  by  the  Spirit  of  God 
that  He  was  directed  to  this  congenial  ministry 
among  His  own  townspeople.  For  nearly  thirty 
years  He  had  lived  and  toiled  here.  His  heart 
was  knit  to  many  in  that  synagogue  by  social  and 
friendly  ties.  He  knew  their  heart  sorrows,  and  He 
longed  to  heal  them.  And  though  His  own  received 
Him  not,  His  example  should  stimulate  us  to  seek 
to  bless  especially  the  souls  that  are  nearest  to  us. 
Yet,  as  it  was  the  intimation  that  the  Gospel  was 
not  for  the  Jews  alone  that  enraged  the  people  of 
Nazareth,  so  many  now  whom  we  would  point  to 
the  Savior,  show  by  their  narrowness  and  bigotry 
that  they  utterly  misunderstand  the  Gospel.     They 


84.       THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

who  would  confine  the  blessings  of  salvation  to  the 
heathen  at  home  need  to  know  that  the  broken- 
hearted can  be  comforted  only  as  they  themselves 
become  comforters;  and  that  "it  is  more  blessed 
to  give  than  to  receive." 

.  .  .  But  let  us  examine  more  particularly  the 
passage  from  Isaiah  which  our  Lord  applies  to 
Himself.  It  sets  before  us  the  scope  and  fullness 
of  the  Gospel.  It  sufficiently  indicates  the  uni- 
versality of  the  Gospel  that  it  is  to  be  preached  to 
the  poor, — while  the  distinctive  blessings  of  the 
Glad  tidings  are  set  forth  in  the  gracious  words, 
"  He  hath  sent  Me  to  heal  the  brokenhearted ;  to 
preach  deliverance  to  the  captives  and  recovering 
of  sight  to  the  blind ;  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are 
bruised ;  to  preach  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord." 
And  Jesus  later  emphasized  the  message : — "  the 

POOR    HAVE    THE    GOSPEL    PREACHED    TO    THEM !  " 

And  who  are  the  poor?  Not  merely  they  who 
are  without  worldly  substance.  A  wider  class  is 
embraced  in  this  designation.  In  the  meaning  of 
Scripture,  the  poor  are  they  who  are  destitute  of 
anything  that  may  be  necessary  to  their  holiness 
and  happiness.  It  was  a  king  who  cried,  "  I  am 
poor  and  needy ;  yet  the  Lord  thinketh  upon  me  " 
(Ps.  xl:  17).  David  felt  that  without  the  Lord's 
mercies  and  favor,  though  he  sat  upon  the  throne 
of  Israel,  he  was  poor  indeed.  The  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ  is  a  system  of  consolation  for  the 
wretched.     The  great  mass  of  mankind  are  liter- 


GLAD  TIDINGS  AT  NAZARETH         85 

ally  poor  in  temporal  possessions;  but  so  are  they, 
in  common  with  those  rich  in  temporal  good,  poor 
and  needy  in  spirit. 

By  indicating  therefore  poverty  of  spirit  as  the 
want  the  Gospel  is  designed  to  supply,  Christ  points 
out  its  universal  scope.  Yet  that  the  literal  poor, 
the  down-trodden  and  the  lowest  of  the  social  scale, 
who  compose  the  mass  of  humanity,  should  share 
at  all  in  the  blessings  of  this  remedial  system, 
this  is  the  distinguishing  feature  of  the  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Nothing  like  it  had  ever  been  known 
to  antiquity.  Nothing  like  it  is  ever  attempted  in 
modern  times,  save  under  the  impulse  of  Chris- 
tianity. The  idea  of  elevating  and  blessing  the 
common  people,  and  especially  servants,  slaves  and 
criminals,  is  perfectly  original  with  the  Gospel 
system.  Sages  in  all  lands,  and  in  every  age,  have 
indeed  been  heard  uttering  the  voice  of  superior 
wisdom.  Some  sublime  "  guesses  at  truth  "  we 
have  from  philosophers  and  poets  of  antiquity; 
some  lofty  maxims;  some  wise  sayings.  But  who 
were  reached  and  helped  by  these  speculations  and 
counsels?  Only  select  pupils,  intimate  friends  or 
distinguished  guests.  The  teachings  of  the  wisest 
men  of  antiquity  never  went  beyond  a  very  narrow 
circle  of  the  upper  classes  of  society.  If,  on  a  rare 
public  occasion,  a  poem  was  recited,  a  history  read, 
a  tragedy  acted  in  public,  as  at  the  Olympic  games, 
the  design  was  not  to  benefit  the  masses,  but  to  se- 
cure their  applause,  as  the  reader  or  actor  was 


86      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

crowned  with  the  olive  in  their  presence.  What 
did  the  poor  of  Greece  know  of  the  philosophy  of 
Plato,  or  the  slaves  of  Rome  of  the  dissertations  of 
Cicero?  And,  even  if  these  teachings  had  been 
diffused  among  the  masses,  what  was  there  in  them 
to  elevate  or  to  comfort  the  poor?  What  were  the 
glad  tidings  of  pagan  philosophy?  The  two  great 
antagonistic  systems  both  offered  the  hungry  heart 
of  man  a  stone.  The  one  said,  "  This  earth  is  all ; 
let  us  eat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow  we  die !  "  The 
other  said,  "  Blunt  your  sensibilities,  destroy  your 
affections,  stamp  out  your  desires,  here  only  is  hap- 
piness." How  different  the  teachings  of  the 
Gospel! 

This  blessed  system  is  for  the  poor  of  all  lands. 
It  addresses  the  wretched  everywhere.  It  has  al- 
ready penetrated  to  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  and 
will  yet  extend  to  the  darkest  places  of  the  earth. 
And  everywhere  it  offers  instruction  to  the  igno- 
rant, comfort  to  the  afflicted,  and  liberty  to  the 
captive.  It  will  do  for  the  Moslem,  the  Hindoo, 
the  African,  what  it  does  equally  well  for  the  rich 
and  cultured  of  Christian  lands,  who  heartily  re- 
ceive it.  The  beggar,  the  outcast,  the  criminal 
may  find  relief,  as  truly  as  a  resident  of  a  palace 
in  London,  or  Paris  or  Chicago. 

Christianity  does  not  change  the  constitution  of 
the  human  soul.  It  takes  men  as  they  are,  with 
their  God-given  faculties,  with  their  deep  seated 
desires  for  happiness,  with  their  affections,  with 


GLAD  TIDINGS  AT  NAZARETH        87 

their  mutual  social  relations,  and  offers  its  blessed 
healing  for  their  sicknesses  and  satisfaction  for 
their  wants.  The  Gospel  blesses  the  poor  every- 
where by  bettering  their  social  condition,  lifting 
them  above  abject  poverty,  and  making  them  share 
in  all  the  outward  advantages  of  a  Christian 
civilization. 

What  a  contrast  do  we  find  between  the  condi- 
tion of  a  poor  man  in  America  and  the  poor  of 
Africa,  or  Turkey  or  Russia,  or  China !  The 
best  minds  in  Europe  and  America  are  working 
upon  social  problems  whose  solution  means  the 
elevation  of  the  poor.  Philanthropic  efforts  are 
carried  on  for  their  benefit.  The  poorest  man  in 
America  may  own  a  Bible.  He  is  welcome  to  the 
churches,  whether  they  be  cathedrals  or  plain 
chapels.  The  free  schools  educate  his  children. 
The  hospitals  and  asylums  receive  him  and  care  for 
him  in  his  misfortune.  He  is  better  paid,  better 
clad,  better  fed,  better  treated  everywhere  and  in 
every  way  than  the  poor  of  any  other  land  or  age 
ever  were.  And  all  this  is  the  direct  result  of  the 
teaching  of  the  Gospel. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  were  two  maps  con- 
structed, the  one  depicting  the  prevalence  of  Chris- 
tianity or  heathenism,  by  light  and  dark  colors  re- 
spectively; and  the  other  the  diffusion  of  happiness 
and  misery  over  the  earth,  the  two  maps  would 
very  closely  correspond.  The  lands  marked  with 
Gospel  light  are  the  lands  where  the  poor  are  lifted 


88      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

up  and  blessed;  while  in  lands  of  pagan  darkness, 

"  Man's  inhumanity  to  man 
Makes  countless  thousands  mourn." 

In  London  alone  there  are  more  than  two  thou- 
sand agencies  for  the  relief  of  the  poor,  and  more 
than  twenty-five  million  dollars  are  annually  ex- 
pended for  their  help.  All  our  great  cities  have 
like  charities.  In  like  manner,  the  Gospel  lifts 
the  burdens  of  humanity  by  multiplying  friends, 
sympathy  and  kindness  to  the  sick  and  suffering. 
Christ  is  the  Great  Physician.  He  healed  many 
diseases  when  He  was  in  the  flesh;  but  He  has 
literally  healed  many  thousands  more  by  the 
agencies  of  the  Gospel  since  He  left  the  earth. 

The  Gospel  cultivates  and  fosters  true  science 
which  has  done  so  much  to  discover  and  remove 
the  causes  of  disease  and  to  mitigate  its  evils.  It 
works  not  by  ignoring  means,  but  by  employing 
them.  It  often  guides,  by  the  blessing  of  God, 
in  answer  to  prayer,  to  the  right  physician,  to  the 
right  medicine,  to  the  right  change,  and  it  im- 
parts that  calmness  and  resignation  to  the 
sufferer  that  is  so  favorable  to  recovery.     Truly, 

"  The  healing  of  His  seamless  dress 
Is  by  our  beds  of  pain ; 
We  touch  Him  in  life's  throng  and  press, 
And  we  are  whole  again." 

The  testimony  of  Isabella  Bird  Bishop  is  note- 
worthy,— She  says,  "  Medical  missions  are  the  out- 


GLAD  TIDINGS  AT  NAZARETH        89 

come  of  the  living  teachings  of  our  faith.  I  have 
now  visited  such  missions  in  many  parts  of  the 
world;  and  never  saw  one  which  was  not  healing, 
helping,  blessing,  softening  prejudice,  diminishing 
suffering,  telling  in  every  work  of  love  and  of  con- 
secrated skill  of  the  infinite  compassion  of  Him 
who  '  came  not  to  destroy  men's  lives,  but  to  save 
them.'  " 

We  have  come  upon  troublous  times,  now  that 
the  powers  of  darkness  have  been  let  loose  upon 
the  earth.  The  horror  of  almost  universal  war 
is  upon  us.  But  let  no  one  say  that  Christianity 
is  to  blame  for  this  state  of  things,  or  that  Christi- 
anity is  in  any  sense  a  failure  because  they  exist. 
It  has  been  the  refusal  to  accept  Christianity  on  the 
part  of  those  who  wage  unjust  warfare  that  is  re- 
sponsible for  all  this  devastation  and  bloodshed. 
The  doctrine  that  "  might  makes  right "  is  not  the 
Gospel,  nor  is  "  the  survival  of  the  fittest,"  as  men 
judge  of  fitness,  the  law  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
But  when  brutal  might  rises  to  crush  the  helpless, 
the  true  followers  of  Christ  see  in  the  very  suffer- 
ings of  the  oppressed  and  down-trodden,  their  great 
opportunity  to  bring  the  consolations  of  the  Gospel 
to  those  who  so  sorely  need  them.  When  in  all  the 
wars  of  the  past  were  so  many  and  such  efficient 
agencies  multiplied  to  bring  relief  to  the  stricken 
and  to  heal  the  brokenhearted?  When  has  so 
much  ever  been  done  for  the  spiritual  interests  of 
soldiers  and  sailors  as  is  being  done  now  by  the 


90      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  kindred  organizations  of  Christian 
lands? 

But  we  have  all  too  little  space  left  to  tell  of  the 
spiritual  sickness,  bondage  and  blindness  which  the 
Gospel  is  sent  to  relieve.  "  To  the  poor  the 
Gospel  is  preached."  The  word  here  rendered 
poor  properly  denotes  the  afflicted,  the  distressed, 
the  needy;  and  as  it  is  amplified  in  the  following 
clauses  we  see  that  it  designates  not  outward  evils 
only,  but  all  the  sufferings  of  the  mind  and  heart. 

The  Gospel  brings  its  chief  blessings  to  the  souls 
of  men.  It  emphasizes  the  value  of  the  spiritual 
man.  It  demonstrates  that  "a  man's  life  con- 
sisteth  not  in  the  abundance  of  the  things  that  he 
possesseth."  It  proves  that  death  does  not  end  all. 
The  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  shows  me  how,  with 
abundance  of  this  world's  goods,  I  may  be  poor  in 
spiritual  possessions. 

And  I  need  this  spiritual  enlightenment.  Sin 
not  only  blinds  the  eyes  to  the  truths  of  the 
Gospel,  so  that,  without  Christ's  healing  touch,  the 
sinner  remains  blind  and  ignorant  of  his  blindness, 
but  all  the  remedies  this  world  has  to  offer  him 
ignore  his  sad  condition  and  make  his  case  nothing 
the  better,  but  rather  the  worse.  "  Physicians  of 
no  value  "  are  all  they  who  would  "  heal  slightly 
the  hurt  of  the  daughter  of  my  people  "  (Jer.  vi : 

14). 

Says  S.  Baring  Gould,  "  Some  years  ago  an  in- 
stitution for  the  blind  was  erected  in  one  of  our 


GLAD  TIDINGS  AT  NAZARETH        91 

large  towns.  The  committee  put  their  wise  heads 
together  and  decided  that  as  the  building  was  for 
the  blind, — for  those  who  could  not  see, — there 
was  only  waste  of  money  and  no  reason  in  going 
to  the  expense  of  windows.  Scientific  ventilation 
and  heating  were  provided,  but  no  windows;  be- 
cause, as  the  committee  very  logically  put  it,  it  was 
no  use  in  the  world  in  providing  light  for  those 
who  cannot  see.  Accordingly  the  new  blind 
asylum  was  inaugurated  and  opened ;  and  the  poor, 
sightless  patients  settled  into  the  house. 

"  Things  did  not  go  well  with  them  however. 
They  began  to  sicken  one  after  another.  A  great 
languor  fell  upon  them.  They  felt  always  dis- 
tressed and  restless,  craving  for  something  they 
hardly  knew  what;  and  after  one  or  two  had  died 
and  all  were  ill,  the  committee  sat  on  the  matter 
and  resolved  to  open  windows.  Then  the  sun 
poured  in  and  the  white  faces  recovered  their  color 
and  the  flagging  vital  energies  revived,  the  de- 
pressed spirits  recovered,  and  health  and  rest  re- 
turned. I  think  that  is  not  unlike  the  condition  of 
a  vast  number  of  people." 

Even  the  spiritually  blind  of  this  world  receive 
untold  benefits  from  Christ;  but  how  much  more 
do  they  receive  whose  eyes  are  opened  by  him. 
The  Gospel  convicts  me  of  spiritual  blindness.  It 
reveals  to  me  my  condition,  as  a  miserable  captive, 
bruised  and  scourged  by  sin.  It  makes  known  to 
me  the  plague  of  my  heart,  and  convinces  me  that 


92      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

it  is  a  disease  without  remedy  by  human  means. 
And,  better  than  all  this,  it  points  me  to  the  Healer, 
the  Deliverer,  the  Comforter.  It  proclaims  the 
great  truths  of  immortality,  of  the  forgiveness  of 
sins,  of  the  presence  of  God,  of  the  comfort  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  of  the  Christian's  triumph  over  death, 
of  the  life  everlasting.  It  sets  the  promises  thick 
as  stars  in  the  night  of  my  affliction.  It  places  be- 
neath the  weak  and  the  faltering  the  "  Everlasting 
Arms."  It  hushes  the  tempest  raised  in  the  bosom 
by  conscious  guilt,  with  the  words,  "  Peace,  be 
still !  "  It  stands  by  the  side  of  the  mourner  and 
comforts  the.  stricken  heart  with  the  assurance, 
"  Thy  son,  thy  daughter,  liveth."  It  reconciles  the 
sufferer  to  the  Cross  and  calls  forth  praises  from 
the  lips  that  quiver  with  pain.  It  lights  up  the 
Father's  house  for  the  wandering  and  travel-worn 
children  of  men.  It  is  simple  in  its  terms,  reason- 
able in  its  requirements,  truthful  in  its  teachings 
and  authoritative  in  its  proclamations.  It  is  a 
faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation. 

It  was  the  Author  of  salvation  who  stood  in  the 
little  synagogue  at  Nazareth  and  proclaimed  "  the 
acceptable  year  of  the  Lord."  The  true  Jubilee, 
deliverance  from  the  yoke  and  burden  of  sin.  But 
"  His  own  received  Him  not." 

This  same  Jesus  speaks  to  us  now.  It  is  "  a 
time  accepted, — a  day  of  salvation."  No  one  of 
you,  my  readers,  will  be  saved  as  a  matter  of  course. 
You  are  sinful,  and  you  need  this  Savior.     With- 


GLAD  TIDINGS  AT  NAZARETH        93 

out  Him  you  are  lost  forever.  But  His  mercy  in- 
vites you  to  penitence  and  to  prayer.  "  Because 
thou  sayest  I  am  rich,  and  increased  with  goods, 
and  have  need  of  nothing,  and  knowest  not  that 
thou  art  wretched,  and  miserable  and  poor  and 
blind  and  naked,  I  counsel  thee,"  says  the  Savior, 
"  to  buy  of  Me  gold  tried  in  the  fire  that  thou 
mayest  be  rich,  and  white  raiment  that  thou  mayest 
be  clothed,  and  that  the  shame  of  thy  nakedness, 
do  not  appear,  and  anoint  thine  eyes  with  eye-salve 
that  thou  mayest  see  "  (Rev.  iii:  17,  18). 

At  Nazareth,  Christ  was  wounded  in  the  house 
of  his  friends.  Alas  for  you  if  you  send  Him 
away,  rejected  from  your  heart  to-day ! 


VII 
IN  THE  HOLY  MOUNT 

WHAT  matter  whether  the  Transfiguration 
of  our  Lord  took  place  upon  Mount 
Tabor  or  upon  Mount  Hermon?  Not 
the  place,  but  the  scene  claims  our  chief  attention. 
The  lessons  to  be  learned  are  not  of  local  interest, 
and  the  privilege  of  sharing  for  a  little  time,  the 
companionship  of  the  Master,  is  worth  infinitely 
more  than  the  most  exact  knowledge  of  the  locali- 
ties of  His  life  and  death.  Let  us  not  then  con- 
cern ourselves  with  questions  of  chronology  or  of 
geography.  Our  aspiration  is  loftier.  We  would 
see  "  Jesus  only."  It  is  enough  as  we  ascend  with 
Him,  either  this  mountain  or  that,  that  we  are  fol- 
lowing in  the  footsteps  of  the  Son  of  God.  It  is  a 
mountain  apart ;  and  we  need  fear  no  interruption. 
It  is  high;  and  here  we  may  remain  for  a  little 
season  above  the  world,  in  a  heavenly  place. 

We  infer  that  it  was  the  evening  hour,  when 
Jesus  led  His  disciples  up  the  mount.  Luke  says 
He  descended  the  next  day,  and  we  know  that  it 
was  no  uncommon  thing  for  our  Lord  to  spend  the 
night  in  prayer. 

We  are  told  that  he  went  apart  to  pray 
94 


IN  THE  HOLY  MOUNT  95 

(Luke  ix:28)  and  the  opportunity  was  afforded 
the  disciples  also  for  prayer;  but,  with  them,  if 
the  spirit  was  willing,  the  flesh  was  weak.  Night 
is  the  natural  time  for  rest;  and  though  the 
favored  three  were  perhaps  the  most  devout  of  His 
followers,  "  Peter,  and  they  that  were  with  him 
were  heavy  with  sleep." 

He  who  was  called  the  "  Rock,"  and  they  who 
were  "  Sons  of  Thunder "  were  men,  of  like 
passions  as  we  are.  Let  us  not  envy  them  their 
privileges,  since  they  make  so  poor  a  use  of  them. 
Let  us  consider  that,  if  we  may  not  see  the  glory  of 
the  Holy  Mount,  nor  hear  a  voice  from  heaven, 
speaking  through  a  mysterious  cloud,  we  may  learn 
better  lessons  than  did  Peter  and  James  and 
John. 

The  shadows  deepen  upon  the  mountain,  for  the 
day  is  declining.  The  glimmering  landscape  that, 
stretching  far  and  wide,  but  a  little  while  ago  em- 
braced in  its  compass  the  hills  of  Galilee  and  per- 
haps the  valley  of  Megiddo  and  the  western  sea, 
now  fades  from  sight.  The  busy  hum  of  industry 
on  the  plains  below  has  ceased;  and,  save  the 
stirring  of  the  night  winds  through  the  branches  of 
the  cedars  and  the  trickling  of  the  mountain  rills, 
all  nature  is  hushed  and  still.  The  disciples  are 
asleep,  and  the  Redeemer  prays. 

Let  us  pause  upon  the  threshold,  e'er  we  enter 
the  holiest  of  all  these  transfiguration  scenes,  and 
ask,  Why  these  prayers  of  Jesus?     He  had  no 


96      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

sins  to  confess;  no  forgiveness  to  crave,  yet  no  one 
on  earth  ever  prayed  so  fervently  as  the  Son  of 
man.  Especially  at  every  marked  crisis  of  His 
life  were  His  earnest  supplications  called  forth. 
On  the  mountain,  in  the  garden,  at  the  cross,  He 
prayed !  If  He  felt  the  need  of  prayer,  much  more 
may  we,  when  led,  either  by  temptation  or  by 
privilege,  up  "  an  exceeding  high  mountain  apart," 
when  blessed  with  the  fellowship  of  the  Master, 
or  when  shown  for  our  trial  all  the  kingdoms  of 
the  world  and  the  glory  of  them.  For  in  either 
case  our  only  safety  lies  in  a  humility  born  of 
prayer. 

Could  we  listen  to  these  earnest  pleadings  we 
might  indeed  learn  the  true  spirit  of  devotion  as  we 
never  learned  it  before;  but  we  could  not  learn 
from  these  supplications  of  our  Lord  alone  what 
things  to  pray  for  as  we  ought.  We  are  sinful; 
He  was  not.  And  the  language  of  His  lips,  as  He 
sought  not  grace,  but  merited  help  from  His  divine 
Father,  would  ill  become  us  as  we  draw  near  to 
God.  Christ  taught  His  immediate  disciples,  as 
He  teaches  us,  how  to  pray.  He  prayed  for  them, 
as  He  prays  for  us.  It  may  reconcile  us  to  the 
thought  that  the  privilege  of  praying  with  the 
Master,  in  bodily  presence  upon  the  earth,  is  not 
granted  us,  to  reflect  that  even  had  His  own  dis- 
ciples not  been  overwhelmed  with  slumber,  on  this 
occasion,  they  could  not  have  joined  Him  in  His 
mountain  prayer.     He  approached  the  Father  by  a 


IN  THE  HOLY  MOUNT  97 

right  they  could  not  claim;  they  had  petitions  to 
offer  He  could  not  share. 

The  disciples  sleep  and  the  Redeemer  prays. 
Though  nearing  the  hour  of  His  strange  baptism, 
and  from  this  time  on  more  frequently  than  before 
pouring  out  His  soul  unto  death,  with  strong  cry- 
ing and  tears,  He  surely  forgets  not,  in  His  suppli- 
cations, these  weary  disciples.  And  surely  if  He 
could  then  remember  them,  let  none  doubt  His  lov- 
ing intercession  now.  "  He  that  keepeth  Israel 
shall  neither  slumber  nor  sleep." 

The  hours  wear  on.  The  disciples  sleep,  and 
the  Redeemer  prays;  when  lo,  suddenly  the  soli- 
tary place  is  flooded  with  a  "  great  wakening  light." 
It  is  not  the  light  of  the  moon,  breaking  from  be- 
hind a  cloud ;  nor  has  the  sun  risen  upon  the  earth. 
Never  did  moon  or  sun  shine  with  such  heavenly 
splendor. 

The  three  disciples  awake  and  behold  the  form 
of  their  Master  transfigured.  The  fashion  of  His 
countenance  is  altered.  It  bears  no  longer  a  line 
or  shadow,  such  as  marked  him  hitherto  as  the 
"  man  of  sorrows."  It  is  not  a  reflected  bright- 
ness, such  as  Moses  bore  upon  his  countenance 
when  he  came  down  from  Sinai;  but  a  glory  all 
His  own  transforms  the  Son  of  man.  Moses  hid 
the  shining  of  his  face  behind  a  veil,  but  no  cover- 
ing can  hide  the  glory  of  the  Lord  of  Moses,  trans- 
figured upon  the  mount.  For,  through  the  fleshly 
tabernacle  there  streams  such  radiance  that  His 


98      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

very  raiment  becomes  shining  exceeding  white, 
rivalling  the  snow-caps  glistening  upon  the  moun- 
tain ridges,  and  "  so  as  no  fuller  upon  earth  can 
white  them."  Nature  and  art  are  both  appealed  to 
in  vain  to  furnish  an  image  that  shall  set  forth  the 
Redeemer's  transcendent  glory  upon  this  occa- 
sion. 

Yet  though  the  human  form  of  Jesus  was  thus 
transfigured  before  the  wondering  eyes  of  His 
disciples,  who  never  before  saw  His  glory,  this 
was  not  a  transfiguration  of  the  Son  of  God.  As 
well  might  we  say  that  the  rift  in  the  cloud  that 
permits  the  sun  to  shine  forth,  flooding  the  heavens 
with  glory,  is  the  sun  itself.  Jesus  upon  the 
Mount  was  transfigured  as  to  His  humanity;  but 
His  humanity  was  itself  a  transfiguration,  in 
humiliation. 

The  Son  of  God  was  transfigured  all  the  days 
He  spent  upon  the  earth  in  the  likeness  of  sinful 
flesh.  This  was  but  a  partial  manifestation  of 
that  glory  He  had  with  the  Father  before  the  world 
was.  It  might  be  called  the  transfiguration  of  the 
Son  of  man;  but  not  the  transfiguration  of  the 
Son  of  God.  On  the  mount  His  flesh  streamed 
with  effulgent  radiance;  but  even  more  glorious 
was  His  appearance  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father; 
even  more  glorious  is  His  resurrection  body  now. 
"  For  the  glory  of  the  celestial  is  one,  and  the 
glory  of  the  terrestrial  is  another"  (i  Cor.  xv : 
40).     The  disciples,  though  with  dazzled  eyes,  look 


IN  THE  HOLY  MOUNT  99 

upon   this;    they   could   not   behold   the   unveiled 
essential  glory  of  their  Lord  and  live. 

But  heavenly  visitors,   too,   are  here,   who,   in 
some  unexplained  manner,  are  made  known  to  the 
disciples.     Peter,  James  and  John  have  not  to  ask, 
"  Who  are  these  in  bright  robes,  and  whence  came 
they  ?  "     They  recognize  them  at  once  as  Moses 
and  Elijah,  the  giver  and  the  restorer  of  the  law, 
the  greatest  of  all  Israel's  leaders  and  the  greatest 
of  all  her  prophets; — two  who  were  mighty   in 
their  lives  and  who  were  both  in  a  mysterious  man- 
ner taken  from  earth:  the  one  hurried  to  an  un- 
known grave  by  the  very  Lord  whose  glory  he 
now  comes  to  witness ;  and  the  other  snatched  from 
the  jaws  of  death,  and  taken  home  to  heaven  in  a 
chariot  of  fire.     The  two  men  with  mention  of 
whom   the   Old   Testament   closes;   and   the   two 
through  whom  prophecy  is  earliest  vindicated  in 
the  New.     Moses  said,  "  A  prophet  shall  the  Lord 
your  God  raise  up  unto  you  of  your  brethren,  like 
unto  me  "  (Deut.  xviii :  15),  (Acts  iii :  22).     And 
the  Spirit  through  Malachi  declared,  "  Behold,  I 
send  you  Elijah  the  prophet  before  the  great  and 
dreadful  day  of  the  Lord  come."     In  Jesus  Him- 
self stood  revealed  the  prophet  like  unto  Moses; 
and  in  John  the  Baptist  He  taught  his  followers  to 
recognize  Elijah  who  was  to  come.     The  heir  of 
Pharaoh's  crown,  who  esteemed  the  reproach  of 
Christ  greater  riches  than  the  treasures  of  Egypt 
and  the  solitary  prophet  whose  watchword  was 


100    THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

"  The  Lord  Jehovah  liveth  before  whom  I  stand," 
both  now  stand  in  the  presence  of  the  King.  How 
cheaply  purchased,  even  by  all  the  fiery  trials  of 
their  lives,  this  moment  of  triumph ! 

Could  two  more  illustrious  personages  have  been 
selected  from  the  whole  ancient  Church  to  be  eye- 
witnesses with  the  apostles  of  our  Lord's  majesty? 
Into  the  things  of  redemption  the  angels  desire  to 
look,  and  surely  redeemed  men  have  a  deeper  in- 
terest in  every  scene  than  they;  for  upon  the  con- 
summation of  the  Redeemer's  sufferings  their 
hopes,  as  well  as  the  hopes  of  a  perishing  world 
must  rest.  What  wonder  that  every  other  theme 
is  forgotten;  and  though  these  visitors  come  as 
messengers  direct  from  heaven,  their  hearts  are  too 
full  to  speak  of  aught  but  His  decease  which  He 
should  accomplish  at  Jerusalem. 

We  have  spoken  of  the  joyful  hours  spent  by 
Jesus  upon  the  earth ;  and  surely  such  a  time  as  this 
may  well  be  recognized  as  a  season  of  ineffable  joy. 
Heaven  has  never  seemed  so  manifestly  to  come 
down  to  earth.  The  glory  of  the  world  of  light 
is  here,  and  here  are  heavenly  guests,  and  a  voice 
from  the  visible  Shekinah  proclaims,  "  This  is  my 
beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased;  hear  ye 
Him."  And  yet,  over  all  this  brightness  there 
falls  the  mysterious  shadow  of  the  Cross.  They 
speak  of  His  decease.  Jesus  had  told  His  disciples 
of  it  just  before  this;  and  from  this  stage  of  His 
ministry  it  is  a  theme  frequently  upon  His  lips, — 


IN  THE  HOLY  MOUNT  101 

a  pleasing,  painful  theme;  a  baptism  toward  which 
He  pressed  forward  with  eagerness,  for  the  joy 
that  was  set  before  Him ;  and  yet  from  which  He 
shrank  back,  crying  "  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let 
this  cup  pass  from  Me." 

We  infer  that  the  slumbering  apostles  have 
missed  this  heavenly  converse,  or  at  least  the  first 
part  of  it.  The  theme  was  exalted,  the  speakers 
were  from  heaven,  the  subject  matter  of  their  dis- 
course deeply  concerned  them;  but  they  were 
asleep!  Surely  if  they  have  heard  what  was  said 
they  have  strangely  misunderstood  its  meaning; 
and  how  inopportune  seem  the  words  of  the  half- 
bewildered,  yet  now  as  ever  forward  Peter, 
"  Master,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here;  if  Thou  wilt 
let  us  make  here  three  tabernacles;  one  for  Thee 
and  one  for  Moses,  and  one  for  Elias." 

But  if  the  apostles  have  failed  to  understand  the 
words  of  the  prophets  of  the  Old  Testament  and 
the  greater  words  of  the  Prophet  of  the  New,  it  is 
not  meant  that  they  shall  fail  to  hear  the  voice 
from  heaven,  which  attests  and  confirms  the  mis- 
sion of  their  divine  Lord.  God,  who  spake  from 
the  cloud  upon  Sinai,  appears  in  a  cloud  above  the 
awe-stricken  three.  It  is  the  Shekinah,  the  symbol 
of  the  divine  presence.  Not  a  dark,  but  a  lumi- 
nous cloud.  Yet  even  the  brightness  of  the 
Shekinah  is  as  a  veil  before  the  "  light  unapproach- 
able and  full  glory,"  where  the  essential  Godhead 
dwells. 


102    THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

Moses  at  Sinai  cried,  "  I  exceedingly  fear  and 
quake;"  and  the  apostles  fear  as  their  Lord  and 
His  prophets  enter  into  the  cloud.  Yet  there  are 
here  no  such  voices  and  thunderings  as  made 
Mount  Sinai  to  shake.  The  glory  of  the  mount 
of  Transfiguration  eclipses  the  glory  of  Sinai  as 
much  as  grace  eclipses  legality.  The  servant  was 
sent  from  the  latter,  with  glory  on  His  counte- 
nance, and  with  delegated  authority  to  speak  for 
God.  The  Son  Himself,  resplendent  with  His 
own  glory  upon  the  former,  speaks  as  Master  and 
Lord,  and  the  emphatic  command  of  the  Father  is, 
"  Hear  ye  Him." 

Dazzled  with  the  excess  of  glory,  the  apostles 
seem  to  avert  their  eyes,  and  when  they  look  again, 
the  scene  is  changed.  The  heavenly  visitors  have 
departed  as  mysteriously  as  they  came;  the  voice 
has  died  away ;  the  supernatural  light  and  the  over- 
hanging cloud  are  gone ;  and  they  see  no  man,  save 
jesus  only! 

Many  questions  of  surpassing  interest  start  up, 
as  we  reflect  upon  this  glorious  scene  in  the  life 
of  our  Lord.  We  might  contemplate  the  "  unity 
of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  as  attested  by 
this  apparition  of  the  Princes  of  the  Old,  in 
solemn  yet  familiar  converse  with  the  Lord  of  the 
New  "  (Trench);  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul, 
as  evinced  by  the  presence  of  men  who,  for  more 
than  a  thousand  years  had  passed  away  from  earth ; 
of  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  and  of  the  na- 


IN  THE  HOLY  MOUNT  103 

ture  of  these  risen  and  changed  bodies;  of  the 
recognition  of  friends  in  heaven,  since  Peter,  James 
and  John,  though  they  have  never  seen  these 
prophets  before,  yet  so  readily  distinguish  them; 
of  the  question  as  to  whether  this  is  a  solitary  in- 
stance of  departing  saints  visiting  the  earth.  We 
stay  to  discuss  none  of  these  matters  now;  and 
mention  them  only  to  indicate  how  fruitful  for 
meditation  is  the  scene  of  the  Transfiguration. 
A  few  other  things,  however,  we  will  observe. 

Note  the  testimony  given  to  Christ  by  the  voice 
from  heaven.  Not  only  did  it  manifest  the  com- 
munion and  sympathy  of  the  Father,  and 
strengthen  the  Son  for  the  hour  of  His  suffering; 
but  it  attested  to  His  followers  the  supremacy  of 
His  claims.  Though  much  of  the  conversation  of 
the  shining  ones  was  unintelligible  to  the  disciples 
at  the  time,  so  profound  was  the  impression  made 
by  this  announcement  of  the  Father  that  it  never 
faded  from  their  minds. 

More  than  thirty  years  afterward  the  apostle 
Peter  referred  to  it  in  the  emphatic  language,  "  For 
we  have  not  followed  cunningly  devised  fables, 
when  we  made  known  unto  you  the  coming  and 
power  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  but  were  eye- 
witnesses of  His  majesty.  For  He  received  from 
God  the  Father  honor  and  glory,  when  there  came 
such  a  voice  to  Him  from  the  excellent  glory, 
*  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well 


104.     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

pleased.'  And  this  voice  which  came  from  heaven 
we  heard  when  we  were  with  Him  in  the  holy 
mount"  (i  Pet.  i:  16). 

Mark  the  deference  paid  to  Christ  by  the  great- 
est teachers  of  the  Old  Testament.  To  Him  gave 
all  the  prophets  witness ;  and  surely  there  is  special 
significance  in  the  fact  that  Moses,  who  gave  the 
Law  on  Sinai  and  Elijah  who  vindicated  it  upon 
Carmel,  here  appear  to  bear  witness  to  the  superior 
claims  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  "  Again,  as  at  the 
Jordan,  did  the  representatives  of  the  two  Cove- 
nants meet,"  and  the  language  of  the  Baptist 
evinced  the  spirit  of  his  prototype,  "  He  must  in- 
crease, but  I  must  decrease."  The  law  and  the 
prophets  find  their  complete  fulfillment,  as  they 
find  their  solution,  in  Jesus  only. 

Moses  and  Elijah  appear  as  redeemed  saints, 
who  owe  their  salvation  to  Christ's  atoning  work. 

"  Not  all  the  blood  of  beasts 
On  Jewish  altars  slain, 
Could  give  the  guilty  conscience  peace, 
Or  wash  away  the  stain. 

But  Christ,  the  heavenly  Lamb, 

Takes  all  our  guilt  away. 
A  sacrifice  of  nobler  name, 

And  richer  blood  than  they." 

Moses  and  Elijah,  though  they  had  shed  the 
blood  of  countless  victims,  yet  looked  forward, 
with  keenest  personal  interest,  to  the  "  bringing  in 


IN  THE  HOLY  MOUNT  105 

of  a  better  hope,"  as  "  they  spake  of  His  decease, 
which  He  should  accomplish  at  Jerusalem." 

We  may  learn  anew  the  lesson  that  we  have 
higher  privileges  than  Peter,  James  and  John 
enjoyed. 

Better  to  sit  at  Jesus'  feet,  in  the  quiet  seclusion 
of  the  sanctuary,  than  to  witness  His  glory  with 
dazzled  eyes  and  trembling  hearts  and  minds  so  be- 
wildered that  we  know  not  what  to  speak.  Better 
is  our  understanding  of  the  scenes  of  the 
Transfiguration  itself  than  was  theirs;  "For  we 
have  also  a  more  sure  word  of  prophecy,  where- 
unto  we  do  well  that  we  take  heed,  as  unto  a  light 
that  shineth  in  a  dark  place,  until  the  day  dawn 
and  the  day  star  arise  in  our  hearts." 

It  is  good  for  us  to  be  here;  but,  unlike  Peter, 
we  care  not  to  detain  Moses  and  Elijah.  Our 
chief  interest  and  affection  center  upon  Jesus 
only. 

Jesus  only.  Let  it  be  our  watchword  while  life 
lasts !  Systems  of  philosophy  may  come  and  go ; 
the  only  teachings  that  have  permanent  power  to 
still  the  tumult  of  our  passions  and  bring  peace  to 
our  troubled  hearts  find  their  embodiment  in  Jesus 
only. 

Friends  may  come  like  angels  from  the  skies, 
kindling  in  our  breasts  the  flames  of  warm  affec- 
tion; and  leaving  us  as  they  depart  the  hollow 
mockery  of  broken  friendships,  or  the  voiceless 
clay  that  responds  not  to  our  call.     The  Friend 


106    THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

who  never  forgets,  never  forsakes,  never  dies,  is 
Jesus  only. 

We  cannot,  indeed,  dwell  always  upon  the 
mount.  We  must  descend,  as  did  the  disciples, 
and  often  learn  how  near  together  are  the  scenes 
of  glory  and  of  wretchedness;  but  we  shall  be  bet- 
ter fitted  for  the  ministry  of  love  if,  after  com- 
muning with  Jesus  only  as  He  leads  us  thus  apart, 
we  follow  Jesus  only  as  He  leads  us  down  the 
mount. 

Whether  on  the  heights  of  some  mount  of 
privilege  or  in  the  deepest  vale  of  humiliation  and 
sorrow,  "  God  forbid  that  we  should  glory  save  in 
the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  And  when 
the  sacerdotal  prayer  of  our  Lord  is  fulfilled, 
"  Father  I  will  that  they  also  whom  Thou  hast 
given  me  be  with  me  where  I  am,  that  they  may 
behold  my  glory  which  Thou  hast  given  me;" — 
when  the  "  righteous  shall  shine  forth  as  the  sun 
in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father;  " — when,  not  with 
two  or  three  of  His  saints  only,  but  with  "  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  and  Church  of  the  first  born,  whose 
names  are  written  in  heaven,"  we  shall  behold  face 
to  face  the  beauty  of  the  King,  in  that  "  city  that 
hath  no  need  of  the  sun,  neither  of  the  moon  to 
shine  in  it,  because  the  glory  of  God  doth  lighten  it 
and  the  Lamb  is  the  light  thereof;  "  our  glad  song 
of  praise  shall  declare  that  heaven  knows  no  attrac- 
tion that  does  not  meet  in  Jesus  only. 

"  Unto  Him  that  loved  us  and  washed  us  from 


IN  THE  HOLY  MOUNT  107 

our  sins  in  His  own  blood  ...  to  him  be  glory 
and  dominion  forever  and  ever  amen!  (Rev.  i  :5, 
6). 


Jesus,  thy  love  alone,  alone  thy  love 

Refresheth  me; 
And  for  that  love  of  thine,  that  freshening  love, 

I  come  to  thee. 

It  is  thy  cross  alone,  alone  thy  cross 

That  healeth  me ; 
And  for  that  cross  of  thine,  that  healing  cross, 

I  come  to  thee. 

It  is  thy  blood  alone,  alone  thy  blood, 

That  cleanseth  me, 
And  for  that  blood  of  thine,  that  cleansing  biood, 

I  come  to  thee. 

It  is  thy  life  alone,  alone  thy  life 

That  saveth  me; 
And  for  that  life  of  thine,  that  saving  life, 

I  come  to  thee. 

It  is  thy  joy  alone,  alone  thy  joy, 

That  gladdens  me ; 
And  for  that  joy  of  thine,  that  gladdening  joy, 

I  come  to  thee. 

Savior,  'tis  thou  thyself,  alone  thyself, 

Art  all  to  me; 
And  for  that  all,  of  everything  I  need, 

I  come  to  thee. 

Bonar. 


VIII 
SPIRITUAL  BLESSINGS  RECOGNIZED 

PETER'S  heart  was  right,  though  his  mind 
was  somewhat  bewildered.  It  was  not 
with  the  Transfiguration  in  view  that  he 
ascended  the  mount.  None  of  the  chosen  three 
knew  what  was  in  store  for  them  when  Jesus 
called  them  aside.  They  loved  the  Master's  so- 
ciety, and  they  followed  at  His  bidding.  Luke 
says,  "  He  took  Peter,  John  and  James  and  went 
up  into  a  mountain  to  pray."  They  knew,  as  they 
toiled  up  its  steep  ascent,  that  they  were  with  Jesus, 
and  that  was  enough.  We  may  well  believe  that 
none  of  them  would  have  been  chosen  to  behold 
this  glorious  Epiphany  if  they  would  not  as  readily 
have  followed  their  Lord  into  humiliation  and 
suffering.  Yet  we  are  not  surprised  that  the  com- 
placent satisfaction  of  the  impulsive  disciple  finds 
expression  at  the  unexpected  vision,  "  Master,  it  is 
good  for  us  to  be  here." 

Let  us  notice  Peter's  appreciation  of  the  best 
things.  He  was  loyal  to  Christ,  through  and 
through,  this  Man  of  Rock.  His  choice  had  been 
made  with  decision,  and  he  ovvned  no  other  master. 
No  impartial  student  of  the  Scriptures  can  doubt 

108 


SPIRITUAL  BLESSINGS  RECOGNIZED    109 

his  thorough  conversion,  despite  his  subsequent 
fall,  under  the  sore  siftings  of  Satan.  His  faults, 
like  his  virtues,  are  prominent ;  but  Jesus  had  won 
his  heart,  and  henceforth  the  things  of  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  were  dearer  to  him  than  earthly  pos- 
sessions, friendships  and  honors.  He  was  glad  to 
be  in  solitude  with  his  Savior,  that  he  might  enjoy 
his  company  and  receive  his  instruction ;  and  when 
this  unexpected  vision  burst  upon  him  his  heart 
was  filled  with  rejoicing. 

Not  every  one  who  knew  of  the  Savior,  when 
He  lived  among  men,  would  have  been  affected  as 
Peter  was  at  such  an  event.  Could  Herod,  or  the 
High  Priest,  or  Judas  have  witnessed  the  Trans- 
figuration their  attitude  toward  Jesus  would  have 
remained  unchanged.  Had  this  great  event  taken 
place  before  the  multitude  many  would  doubtless 
have  been  dazzled  by  the  vision,  but  it  is  not  likely 
that  a  single  heart  would  have  responded,  "  Master, 
it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here,"  who  had  not  before 
that  hour  acknowledged  Him  to  be  their  Lord. 

Miracles  do  not  compel  faith.  The  Israelites 
worshipped  the  golden  calf  under  the  very  crags  of 
Sinai  where  they  had  heard  Jehovah's  voice,  and 
many  saw  the  works  of  Jesus  in  the  flesh  only  to 
despise  and  wonder  and  perish.  It  was  because 
Peter  possessed  a  devout  heart  that  he  rejoiced  in 
this  wonderful  display  of  divine  glory.  His  in- 
terest was  not  that  of  an  entranced  spectator  of  a 
new  wonder,  seen  but  once  in  a  lifetime;  or  that 


110    THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

Moses  and  Elijah,  the  two  greatest  prophets  of  the 
past,  stood  before  Him. 

Doubtless  it  would  have  been  difficult  for  Peter 
to  have  analyzed  his  feelings.  Luke  plainly  tells 
us  that  he  knew  not  what  he  said;  but  who  can 
doubt  that  he  spoke  out  of  the  abundance  of  his 
heart,  and  that  his  deepest  emotions  were  of  a 
spiritual  nature?  The  vision  was  supernatural; 
but  this  was  not  the  chief  matter.  Every  circum- 
stance and  incident  of  the  Transfiguration  centered 
in  the  glory  of  Christ.  This  radiant  countenance, 
these  dazzling  robes,  these  heavenly  visitors,  this 
mysterious  cloud,  this  approving  voice,  all  testified 
that  Jesus  was  the  beloved  Son  of  God.  What 
wonder  that  a  disciple  whose  love  was  so  ardent, 
whose  loyalty  was  so  unquestioned,  should  rejoice 
in  this  supreme  moment  of  triumph  and  feel  that 
it  was  indeed  good  to  be  there! 

We  shall  none  of  us  ever  witness  in  this  life  a 
scene  like  the  Transfiguration.  But  like  emotions 
have  often  stirred  the  hearts  of  God's  people  when 
the  Master's  presence  has  been  manifested  with 
power.  Indeed  an  important  test  of  true  piety  is 
found  in  the  interest  men  take  in  religious  privi- 
leges. 

Wherever  the  Church  of  God  is  found  "  the 
thoughts  of  many  hearts  are  revealed  "  by  the  atti- 
tude they  assume  toward  it.  It  is  in  Zion  that  God 
reveals  His  presence  with  peculiar  power.  Yet 
men's  minds  are  affected  in  a  very  different  man- 


SPIRITUAL  BLESSINGS  RECOGNIZED     111 

ner  by  the  claims  of  the  sanctuary.  There  were 
multitudes  in  Galilee  who  would  rather  have  wit- 
nessed a  theatrical  show,  a  triumphant  procession, 
or  a  king's  coronation,  than  have  seen  the  glory 
of  our  Lord  upon  the  mount.  But  Peter  and  his 
fellow  disciples  felt  that  it  was  better  to  see  what 
they  saw  than  to  see  the  splendor  of  earthly  courts, 
or  to  have  places  of  honor  assigned  them  in  the 
most  powerful  of  earthly  kingdoms.  Multitudes 
in  our  day  prefer  the  glamor  of  the  world  to 
Christ.  It  is  nothing  to  them  that  the  Church 
throws  open  her  doors,  that  the  infinite  Jehovah 
has  promised  to  meet  His  people  at  the  place  of 
prayer ;  that  there  scenes  often  transpire  that  give 
joy  in  heaven;  that  there  is  told  the  marvelous 
story  of  redeeming  love;  that  there  God  speaks  to 
the  people  through  His  living  word,  and  through 
the  voice  of  the  living  minister,  whenever  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus  is  proclaimed;  that  there  often  are 
seen  the  transformations  of  grace  when  souls  are 
born  again.  There  are  many  who  hear  of  all  these 
things  with  utter  indifference,  who  rarely  cross  the 
threshold  of  the  sanctuary  or  if,  stimulated  by 
curiosity  or  influenced  by  friends,  they  lend  their 
occasional  presence,  their  hearts  are  unmoved. 

We  need  to  have  it  impressed  upon  us  that  the 
only  thing  that  imparts  spiritual  power  to  the 
Church  is  the  presence  of  the  Lord  of  glory.  It 
is  not  the  furnishing  of  the  house,  not  the  eloquence 
of  the  preacher,  not  the  sweetness  of  any  singer's 


112    THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

voice,  not  the  assembled  multitude,  but  the  Spirit 
of  God  that  gives  Zion  her  peculiar  blessings. 
"The  Lord  hath  chosen  Zion."  "The  Lord 
loveth  the  gates  of  Zion  more  than  all  the  dwell- 
ings of  Jacob." 

God  blesses  the  homes  of  all  who  love  Him.  He 
is  the  God  of  the  household.  We  rejoice  in  that. 
But  God  dwells  in  Zion  as  He  dwells  nowhere  else ; 
and  His  true  people  are  homesick  when  they  are  de- 
prived of  the  privileges  of  meeting  Him  in  His  own 
house.  Like  David  they  are  ready  to  cry,  "  As  the 
hart  panteth  after  the  water  brooks,  so  panteth  my 
soul  after  thee,  O  God."  "  My  soul  thirsteth  for 
God,  for  the  living  God"  (Ps.  xlii :  i,  2).  Per- 
haps some  of  us  attend  the  house  of  God  with  no 
expectation  of  witnessing  any  unusual  displays  of 
His  presence,  as  the  disciples  toiled  up  the  moun- 
tain with  Jesus  with  no  anticipations  of  His  Trans- 
figuration. It  is  good  for  us  to  be  there,  even  if  we 
witness  nothing  that  we  have  not  seen  before,  if 
only  we  are  assured  that  His  Spirit  is  with  us,  if 
we  can  pour  out  our  hearts  in  prayer  before  Him, 
if  we  can  appropriate  the  promises  and  can  say 
when  we  return  to  our  homes,  "  Did  not  our 
hearts  burn  within  us  "  while  we  met  the  Lord 
yonder ! 

But  again,  Peter's  language  expresses  his  ap- 
preciation of  special  privileges.  Not  all  the' 
disciples  were  called  up  to  the  mount.  There  was 
an  inner  circle  among  the  twelve.     Why  Jesus  used 


SPIRITUAL  BLESSINGS  RECOGNIZED     113 

this  discrimination  we  do  not  know ;  but  we  cannot 
doubt  that  the  temper  of  mind  and  fitness  for  serv- 
ice seen  in  the  favored  three  explain  the  Lord's 
preference.  They  only  were  with  Him  at  the 
Transfiguration;  they  only,  of  all  the  disciples, 
were  admitted  to  the  chamber  where  Jairus'  daugh- 
ter was  raised  to  life;  and  they  only  were  with  our 
Savior  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane. 

Peter  may  mean  to  recognize  the  distinguishing 
favor  that  permitted  them  to  behold  a  vision  that 
other  disciples  did  not  share  when  he  says, 
"  Master,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here !  " 

And  assuredly  we  have  sometimes  seen  displays 
of  God's  goodness  in  the  sanctuary  that  our  fellow 
Christians  have  not  witnessed.  We  have  sat  to- 
gether in  heavenly  places,  and  our  hearts  have 
burned  within  us  as  the  truth  of  the  Gospel  has 
come  home  to  us  with  peculiar  power;  or  we  have 
seen  the  joyful  sight  of  many  joining  themselves 
to  the  Lord;  or  the  Sacramental  ordinances  have 
been  in  an  especial  manner  blessed  to  the  whole 
congregation.  God's  Spirit  has  been  suddenly 
poured  out,  melting  and  subduing  and  filling  the 
hearts  of  His  waiting  people,  until  the  language 
of  their  souls  is  one,  "  It  is  good  for  us  to  be  here." 
Not  all  our  seasons  of  service  are  marked  by 
equal  enjoyment.  There  are  transfiguration 
scenes  and  scenes  of  trial.  The  disciples  were  on 
the  mountain  with  Jesus  one  night  and  the  next 
day  were  with  Jesus  amid  the  troubled  company 


114    THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

surrounding  the  paralytic  boy.  With  Jesus  on 
both  occasions;  but  with  what  different  emotions! 
There  are  heights  and  depths  of  religious  expe- 
rience. We  speak  now  of  scenes  of  spiritual  joy 
in  the  sanctuary,  when  more  than  wonted  impres- 
sions have  been  made  upon  the  heart.  Every  be- 
liever may  recall  such  seasons.  When  some  friend, 
long  prayed  for,  came  out  upon  the  Lord's 
side.  When  some  sermon  touched  the  heart  with 
unusual  power.  When  some  burden,  long  borne, 
was  lifted.  When  the  Holy  Communion,  perhaps 
the  first,  was  especially  precious.  All  these  were 
transfiguration  scenes. 

Sometimes  in  very  small  assemblies,  even  where 
but  two  or  three  are  gathered,  the  blessing  of  the 
Spirit  is  given.  There  were  but  three  witnesses  of 
the  Transfiguration ;  and  many  a  time  since  Christ 
has  shown  the  light  of  His  countenance  to  the  little 
company  that  has  been  gathered  together  in  His 
name. 

We  greatly  undervalue  our  privileges  if  we 
judge  that  the  chosen  three  on  the  mount  of  Trans- 
figuration had  superior  advantages  to  those  that  we 
enjoy.  They  saw  indeed  a  visible  glory  of  Christ; 
they  met  Moses  and  Elijah  face  to  face;  they 
heard  the  voice  of  the  Father,  speaking  from  the 
luminous  cloud ;  but  the  vision  was  transient,  their 
minds  were  bewildered,  their  understanding  was 
imperfect,  and  they  were  unprepared,  even  by 
these  unusual  scenes,  to  enter  into  sympathy  with 


SPIRITUAL  BLESSINGS  RECOGNIZED    115 

their  Master,  as  He  discoursed  to  them  while  com- 
ing down  the  mount,  of  His  approaching  death 
and  resurrection.  "  We  have  a  more  sure  word 
of  prophecy," — a  fuller  revelation  of  divine  truth; 
the  principles  of  our  salvation  are  more  clearly 
established ;  the  Holy  Spirit  is  given  to  us  in  larger 
measure;  and  we  can  understand  better  than  could 
the  apostles,  had  they  even  been  awake,  the  things 
of  the  kingdom  of  God,  of  which  Moses  and 
Elijah  discoursed  as  "  they  spake  of  His  decease 
which  He  should  accomplish  at  Jerusalem."  And 
the  glory  of  Christ  seen  in  the  sanctuary  is  not  a 
less  desirable  thing  to  behold  than  His  Transfigura- 
tion upon  Tabor  or  Hermon.  Let  us  appreciate 
our  privileges.  Others  have  not  the  blessings  we 
possess,  or  have  them  in  smaller  measure.  Let  us 
always  remember  that  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here ; 
and  let  our  gratitude  go  forth  to  Him  who  so  often 
favors  us  above  others  with  displays  of  His  grace 
when, 

"  Heaven  comes  down  our  souls  to  greet, 
And  glory  crowns  the  Mercy  Seat." 

Once  more,  Peter's  words  may  mark  his  dis- 
cernment of  an  important  event  in  our  Lord's 
ministry.  He  had  been  accustomed  to  see  mir- 
acles, as  he  followed  Him  "  who  went  about  doing 
good."  Here,  however,  was  a  surpassing  wonder. 
The  Son  of  man  appears  not  in  His  humiliation, 
but  assumes  something  of  the  glory  He  had  for  a 


116     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

time  laid  aside.  The  giver  of  the  Law  and  the  re- 
storer of  the  Law  appear  with  Him  in  glory.  A 
voice  from  heaven  attests  His  divine  claims;  and 
the  command  is  given,  "  Hear  ye  Him!  " 

It  was  indeed  an  important  stage  of  our  Savior's 
career. 

"  This  weighty  event,"  says  Alford,  "  formed 
the  solemn  installation  of  our  Lord  to  His  suffer- 
ings and  their  result."  It  may  be  called  the 
meridian  of  His  day  of  earthly  labor.  As  at  the 
beginning  of  His  ministry  a  voice  from  heaven 
proclaimed,  "  This  is  my  Beloved  Son,"  and  a  voice 
at  the  close  answered  the  prayer,  "  Father,  glorify 
Thy  name;"  so,  in  the  full  tide  of  His  redeeming 
work,  the  heavenly  voice  is  heard,  setting  the  seal 
of  divine  approval  upon  Him,  as  the  Messiah  whom 
God  has  sent.  Here  begins  the  second  grand  stage 
of  His  life-work.  From  this  time  forward  the 
shadows  of  the  cross  fell  more  heavily  upon  His 
pathway.  He  spoke  to  His  disciples  more  plainly 
of  His  approaching  sufferings  and  sought  to  pre- 
pare them,  as  they  were  able  to  bear  His  words,  for 
the  place  they  must  assume  in  His  heavenly 
kingdom. 

We  are  far  from  intimating  that  the  true  signifi- 
cance of  this  unique  scene  was  discerned  by  Peter. 
But  some  impressions,  vague  and  shadowy  as  they 
were,  he  must  have  received.  He  understood  not 
what  the  Transfiguration  meant;  but  he  knew  it 
was   not    without    significance;    and   even   if    he 


SPIRITUAL  BLESSINGS  RECOGNIZED     117 

wrongly  imagined  it  to  be  the  inauguration  of  the 
temporal  reign  of  the  Messiah,  he  was  right  in 
esteeming  it  good  to  be  present,  and  thus  to  be  in  a 
measure  prepared  for  the  future  developments  of 
the  kingdom  of  Christ  upon  the  earth.  More  than 
thirty  years  after  this  event  Peter  writes  of  it  as 
having  stamped  itself  indelibly  upon  His  mind, — 
"  For  we  have  not  followed  cunningly  devised 
fables,  when  we  made  known  unto  you  the  power 
and  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  but  were 
eye-witnesses  of  His  Majesty;  for  He  received 
from  God  the  Father  honor  and  glory,  when  there 
came  such  a  voice  to  Him  from  the  excellent  glory, 
This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased.  And  this  voice  which  came  from  heaven 
we  heard,  when  we  were  with  Him  in  the  holy 
mount"  (2  Pet.  i:  17,  18). 

It  is  indeed  a  privilege  to  witness  any  marked 
display  of  divine  power  that  may  indicate  a  for- 
ward movement  in  the  Church  of  God.  And  if 
ever  the  signs  of  the  times  claimed  the  discernment 
of  men,  they  do  now.  These  are  days  when  God 
is  working  wonders  in  the  earth.  Not  only  are 
the  minds  of  men  stirred  to  unusual  activity,  not 
only  are  discovery  and  invention  and  enterprise 
making  giant  strides  in  material  things ;  but  Provi- 
dence is  marshalling  all  the  resources  of  the  earth 
and  combining  all  the  forces  that  have  influence  in 
society  to  carry  out  His  vast  designs.  Great  events 
have  occurred  within  our  memory  that  have  had 


118    THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

direct,  though  entirely  unlooked  for,  bearing  upon 
the  interests  of  the  Church.  We  need  not  rehearse 
the  wonderful  story  of  man's  conquest  over  the 
forces  of  nature  in  this  age,  when  earth,  air  and 
sea  have  so  largely  given  up  their  secrets.  With 
so  many  amazing  attainments  already  made,  we 
may  yet  be  only  on  the  frontiers  of  discovery ;  and 
Sir  Isaac  Newton's  modest  claim  to  be  only  a 
gatherer  of  shells  on  the  sea-shore  may  be  repeated 
by  our  most  advanced  scientists.  This  only  we 
may  say  with  confidence,  that  all  these  things  are 
part  of  the  divine  plan  to  secure  the  glory  of  the 
Church,  and  that,  far  beyond  the  thoughts  of  men, 
God  will  make  use  of  them  for  the  advancement  of 
His  kingdom. 

We  live  in  the  great  missionary  age.  Now,  as 
never  before,  is  Zion  called  upon  to  "  lengthen  her 
cords  and  strengthen  her  stakes"  (Isa.  liv:i). 
And  though  the  nations  are  now  in  the  commotion 
of  almost  universal  war,  and  the  wisest  Statesman 
cannot  predict  the  issue,  and  all  missionary  enter- 
prises present  new  obstacles  that  try  our  faith,  we 
are  well  assured  that  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not 
prevail  against  the  Church,  and,  even  through  the 
unhappy  conflicts  of  men  "  deliverance  and  enlarge- 
ment shall  arise"  (Esther  iv:  14). 

It  is  good  to  live  in  these  days,  even  though 
scoffers  walking  after  their  own  lusts  say,  "  Where 
is  the  promise  of  His  coming?  "  (2  Pet.  iii :  2,  4). 
It  is  good  to  read  with  discerning  eyes  the  opening 


SPIRITUAL  BLESSINGS  RECOGNIZED     119 

pages  of  the  Book  of  Providence,  and  though  the 
significance  of  the  vision  may  be  hidden  from  us, 
be  so  impressed  with  the  conviction  that  Christ  is 
being  glorified  in  the  earth  that  we  shall  be  pre- 
pared for  our  place  in  His  kingdom  when  He  calls 
us  to  any  service. 

The  best  point  of  view  from  which  to  watch  the 
movements  of  history  is  the  church  of  God.  "  O 
thou,  that  bringest  good  tidings  to  Zion,  get  Thee 
up  on  a  high  mountain"  (Isa.  xl :  9  Am.  R.  V). 
There  are  many  things  in  Providence  that  we  can- 
not understand.  There  are  movements  forward 
and  backward,  as  in  complicated  machinery. 
There  are  mysteries  that  baffle  our  understanding, 
and  evils  that  try  our  faith.  There  are  new  instru- 
ments from  time  to  time  discovered  in  the  hands  of 
God  of  which  we  cannot  see  the  use;  and  some- 
times we  blindly  judge  that  they  have  no  use;  but 
if  we  carefully  study  the  progress  of  events  we 
shall  catch  such  glimpses  of  the  purposes  of  grace 
as  will  convince  us  that  not  one  useless  thing  has 
transpired  and  not  one  instrument  fashioned  but 
has  its  place  in  the  far-reaching  plans  of  God  for 
the  progress  of  Zion.  It  is  the  past  only  that  is 
luminous.  Principles  are  slowly  grasped.  We 
understand  the  ancient  world  better  than  the  an- 
cients did.  Better  histories  of  Greece,  and  Rome 
have  been  written  in  the  present  generation  than 
the  scholarship  of  the  world  had  been  able  before 
to  produce;  and  the  Church  of  God  understands 


120    THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

to-day  more  clearly  the  principles  of  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,  and  has  an  ampler  vision  of  the  glory 
yet  to  be  than  any  previous  age  has  known. 

It  is  good  to  be  with  the  army  of  the  living  God, 
when  the  great  Captain  of  our  salvation  is  leading 
it  on  to  triumph.  It  is  good  to  be  in  sympathy 
with  His  cause,  though  our  understanding  of  many 
things  is  so  imperfect;  for  by  and  by  we  shall  see 
clearly,  and  I  doubt  not  shall  discern  that  even  the 
visible  transfiguration  of  our  Lord  in  Galilee  was 
not  a  more  glorious  thing  to  see  than  the  glory  of 
Christ  in  the  earth  in  the  days  in  which  we  live. 
These  are  times  when  all  the  various  activities  of 
the  Church,  in  missions,  brotherhood  fellowship, 
young  people's  societies,  social  reforms  and  wide 
spread  relief  may  find  scope  and  opportunity  as 
never  before.    "  It  is  good  for  us  to  be  here !  " 

One  other  possible  explanation  of  the  text  is 
adopted  by  Meyer.  It  is  fortunate  that  we 
disciples  are  here.  Peter's  controlling  impulse 
may  have  been  to  be  of  service.  And  his  addi- 
tional suggestion,  "  Let  us  make  here  three  taber- 
nacles "  seems  to  give  some  support  to  the  rendi- 
tion. Though  confused  and  amazed,  Peter  desired 
to  be  useful.  He  may  have  thought  that  the  con- 
struction of  leafy  booths  would  be  desirable,  if  the 
heavenly  visitors  were  to  remain,  or  at  least  that 
thus  the  disciples  might  show  their  willingness  to 
honor  their  Lord  and  them.  But  even  if  He  pro- 
poses what  he  would  not  have  thought  of  had  his 


SPIRITUAL  BLESSINGS  RECOGNIZED     121 

faculties  been  more  alert,  he  evinces  his  readiness 
to  do  something  that  should  be  acceptable  to  his 
Master.  And  we  may  accept  this  as  our  closing 
lesson.  It  is  well  to  be  so  impressed  with  the  pres- 
ence of  Jesus  in  the  sanctuary  that  we  shall  inquire, 
like  Paul,  "  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do?  " 
We  may  well  question  the  religious  emotion  that 
evaporates  when  the  congregation  melts  into  the 
multitude  of  the  world,  and  the  impressions  of  the 
sanctuary  are  forgotten.  It  is  good  for  us  to  be 
here.  Here,  in  the  Church  of  the  living  God,  as  it 
exists  among  men.  Here  in  the  sacramental  host 
of  God's  elect.  Here,  in  the  great  family  of  which 
God  is  the  Head  and  Jesus  the  Elder  Brother,  and 
all  are  one!  In  this  day,  when  the  call  for  en- 
listment is  so  insistent,  and  the  opportunities  of 
service  are  so  abundant,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be 
here. 


122     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 


Cast  thy  Bread  upon  the  waters, 
Give  to  all  Christ's  hungry  poor. 

Think  not  aught  too  mean  to  offer, 
Which  He  blesses,  of  thy  store. 

Give,  then,  of  thy  worldly  substance, 

Fear  not  thou  shalt  go  unfed; 
He  who  feeds  the  fowls  of  heaven 

Will  supply  thy  daily  bread. 

Break  the  Bread  of  Life  to  others. 

Give,  as  Christ  has  given  to  thee; 
Though  thy  store  seem  small  and  worthless, 

He'll  increase  it  wondrously. 

Crowds  cry,  perishing  with  hunger, 
"Who  will  show  us  any  good?" 

Show  them  Christ,  the  Bread  of  Heaven; 
Feed  them  with  this  heavenly  food. 

Everything  you  do  for  Jesus, 

Humble  though  the  service  be, 
Helps  some  soul  to  feed  upon  Him ; 

Hence  the  Lord  hath  need  of  thee! 

Ours  the  service,  His  the  blessing; 

Thus  the  multitudes  we  feed ; 
Thus  the  Master  still  is  working 

Miracles  of  grace  indeed. 


J.  G.  L. 


IX 
FORGIVEN  AND  LOVING  MUCH 

THE  only  true  accusation  the  enemies  of 
Jesus  ever  brought  against  Him  is  His 
crowning  glory;  "  This  man  receiveth  sin- 
ners." 

Immediately  after  a  wonderful  discourse  of 
our  Lord,  which  closed  with  the  memorable  words, 
"  Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest,"  occurred  the 
scene  to  which  we  now  give  our  attention.  Let  us 
see  Jesus  rejoicing  in  the  restoration  of  the  fallen 
and  lost. 

Perhaps  the  "  Woman  that  was  a  sinner  "  heard 
from  the  lips  of  the  Master  this  gracious  invita- 
tion; and,  full  of  penitence  and  gratitude,  embraced 
this  her  first  opportunity  to  show  love  for  the 
Savior. 

A  Pharisee  "  who  bore  the  very  common  name 
of  Simon,"  invited  Jesus  to  dine  with  him.  What 
his  motive  was  in  so  doing  is  not  clear.  He  cer- 
tainly was  not  a  sincere  friend  of  our  Lord.  Per- 
haps he  was  merely  curious  to  see  Him  at  nearer 
view.  Perhaps  he  wanted  to  make  up  his  own 
mind  as  to  the  merits  of  His  claims,  and  in  the 
123 


124     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

meantime,  while  he  was  willing  to  show  Jesus  a 
measure  of  favor,  he  would  not  compromise  his 
own  dignity  and  standing  by  offering  more  than 
the  barest  civilities  to  his  guest.  His  hospitality 
was  not  free  and  liberal,  but  condescending,  patron- 
izing and  scanty.  Indeed  little  more  was  done 
than  to  admit  our  Lord  to  a  place  at  the  table  of 
the  great  man. 

No  kiss  of  welcome  greeted  Him.  No  water 
was  brought  to  refresh  His  weary  feet,  as  the 
dusty  sandals  were  laid  aside.  No  sweet  smelling 
perfume  anointed  His  head. 

It  could  not  but  be  apparent  to  the  other  guests, 
and  to  the  lookers  on  that  He  whom  even  Simon 
called  "  Master  "  was  treated  with  studied  neglect. 

"  An  Englishman's  house  is  his  castle."  It  is 
not  so  in  the  Orient,  and  especially  when  a  great 
feast  was  made  the  host  was  forced  to  keep  open 
doors.  None  approached  the  table  but  invited 
guests,  but  a  great  company  of  the  poor  was  ad- 
mitted about  the  doors,  and  to  them  was  consigned 
freely  whatever  was  left  after  the  feast  was  ended. 

Among  the  throng  that  came  thus  to  Simon's 
house,  on  this  occasion  was  one  whose  presence 
was  more  than  undesired.  It  was  offensive.  "  A 
woman  that  was  a  sinner,"  apparently  well  known 
in  the  city,  finding  that  Jesus  was  dining  at  the 
Pharisee's  house,  pressed  her  way  into  the  room 
hoping  for  some  opportunity  of  manifesting  her 
love. 


FORGIVEN  AND  LOVING  MUCH       125 

Perhaps  she  had  witnessed,  with  sorrow  and 
regret  the  indignity  done  the  Savior  by  His  host, 
and  resolved  to  perform  the  neglected  service;  and 
so  she  hastens  home  and  seizes  the  most  costly 
thing  in  her  possession,  an  Alabastrum,  a  vessel 
filled  with  precious  perfume,  and  returns,  hoping 
to  find  some  way  to  pour  it  upon  the  head  of 
Jesus. 

But  as  the  company  sat,  or  rather  reclined,  at 
the  table,  she  could  not  approach  near  enough  for 
this.  For  the  Roman  custom  of  resting  at  meal- 
time upon  a  triclinium,  or  dinner-bed,  now  pre- 
vailed among  the  Jews,  and  was  doubtless  prac- 
ticed upon  this  occasion.  Half  lying  thus  upon 
the  left  arm,  with  the  head  toward  the  table,  the 
feet  of  the  guests  were  thrown  behind,  so  that  the 
servants  might  easily  perform  the  office  of  washing 
them. 

If  the  woman  may  not  anoint  the  head  of  Jesus 
she  may  at  least  reach  His  feet,  and  so  she  ap- 
proaches from  behind.  But  as  she  bends  over  to 
perform  this  lowly  act  of  grateful  homage,  unde- 
terred by  the  forbidding  looks  of  the  Pharisee, 
though  doubtless  disturbed  by  them,  her  pent  up 
emotions  can  no  longer  be  controlled.  Thoughts 
of  all  that  she  has  been,  and  of  what  Jesus  has 
become  to  her,  quite  overcome  her,  and  with 
mingled  joy  and  sorrow,  the  tears  of  the  penitent, 
falling  in  a  plentiful  shower,  wash  the  feet  she 
had  come  to  anoint. 


126     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

She  is  not  repulsed,  and  she  ventures  upon  a 
further  service.  With  her  long  flowing  hair,  her 
only  towel,  she  wipes  away  her  fallen  tears;  she 
kisses  the  feet  of  Him  who  has  bidden  her  come 
to  Him  for  rest,  and  then  pours  the  costly  nard 
upon  them. 

Jesus  had  not  turned  around  as  yet,  but  He  well 
knew  who  was  performing  this  grateful  service. 

He  could  read,  too,  the  thoughts  of  Simon,  who 
perhaps  sat  opposite,  though  with  studied  uncon- 
cern the  Pharisee  may  have  striven  to  recover 
himself  and  to  compose  his  countenance. 

And,  without  appearing  to  observe  what  had 
been  done,  or  to  have  any  reference  to  it,  the  great 
Teacher  propounded  a  simple  question  of  social 
life.  "  There  was  a  certain  creditor,  who  had  two 
debtors.  The  one  owed  five  hundred  pence  and 
the  other  fifty.  And  when  they  had  nothing  to 
pay,  he  frankly  forgave  them  both.  Tell  me 
therefore  which  will  love  him  most." 

There  is  a  touch  of  superciliousness  in  Simon's 
reply — as  if  this  were  child's  play — an  idle  ques- 
tion for  one  to  propose  who  claimed  to  be  a  great 
prophet  and  the  Master  of  Israel. 

And  he  answers  readily  enough,  not  seeing  the 
pitfall  of  the  little  parable.  The  debtor  who  was 
forgiven  five  hundred  pence  might  be  expected  to 
love  more  than  he  whose  debt  was  only  one-tenth 
that  amount. 

As  little  did  David  anticipate  Nathan's  applica- 


FORGIVEN  AND  LOVING  MUCH        127 

tion,  "  Thou  art  the  man,"  as  did  Simon  expect 
our  Lord's  reply:  "Thou  hast  rightly  judged." 
Then  came  the  moral  of  the  simple  tale,  "  couched," 
as  Farrar  remarks,  "  in  that  rhythmic  utterance  of 
antithetic  parallelism  which  our  Lord  adopted  in 
His  loftier  teachings,  appealing  like  the  poetry  of 
their  own  prophets  to  these  Jewish  hearers — the 
sterner  for  its  very  gentleness." 

Our  Lord  turned  full  upon  the  penitent  who  was 
perhaps  still  kneeling  at  His  feet.  Confused  and 
abashed  as  she  doubtless  was  at  having  the  atten- 
tion of  the  whole  company  directed  to  her,  it  was 
with  increasing  joy  and  gladness  that  she  heard  the 
Savior  speak.  She  could,  as  easily  as  we,  supply 
the  words  between  the  lines  in  our  Lord's  ad- 
dress— "Simon,  seest  thou  this  woman?  (so  far 
removed  in  the  social  scale  from  thyself).  I 
entered  thy  house  (at  thine  own  invitation)  ;  thou 
gavest  me  no  water  for  my  feet;  (though  even  the 
poorest  hosts  are  accustomed  to  offer  this  courtesy 
to  their  guests) — but  she  (because  she  could  not 
otherwise  perform  the  service)  hath  washed  my 
feet  with  tears  and  wiped  them  with  the  hair  of  her 
head.  Thou  gavest  me  no  kiss  (the  customary 
greeting)  but  this  woman,  since  the  time  I  came  in, 
hath  not  ceased  to  kiss  my  feet.  My  head  with 
(even  common  olive)  oil  thou  didst  not  anoint; 
but  this  woman  hath  anointed  my  feet  with 
(precious)  ointment.  Wherefore  I  say  unto  you, 
her  sins  which  are  many  are  forgiven ;  for  she  loved 


128     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

much;  but  to  whom  little  is  forgiven,  the  same 
loveth  little." 

And  He  said  unto  her — "Thy  sins  are  for- 
given." And  then  that  He  might  show  that  for- 
giveness was  not  purchased  by  the  much  love,  He 
points  to  the  condition  in  herself  that  warranted 
His  unqualified  declaration  of  pardon — "  Thy  faith 
hath  saved  thee,  go  in  peace."  We  are  not  told 
what  effect  this  reply  had  upon  Simon;  but  the 
guests,  whether  in  admiring  surprise  or  in  disap- 
probation, we  know  not,  began  to  muse  in  their 
hearts,  "Who  is  this  that  forgiveth  sins  also?" 
We  hear  no  more  of  this  woman.  Her  name  is  not 
given.  Tradition  and  popular  interpretation  have 
indeed  long  identified  her  with  Mary  of  Magdala, 
out  of  whom  our  Lord  cast  seven  devils,  and  who 
afterward,  with  other  women,  ministered  to  Him 
of  her  substance.  But  it  is  quite  unlikely  that  they 
were  the  same  persons. 

When  Luke  mentions  "  Mary  called  Magda- 
lene "  in  the  beginning  of  the  next  chapter,  he  in- 
troduces her  as  a  new  and  separate  character. 

Still  more  inexcusable  is  the  blunder  which  con- 
founds Mary  the  sister  of  Lazarus,  who  anointed 
the  feet  of  Jesus  at  Bethany  with  "  the  woman  that 
was  a  sinner."  The  scene  of  this  anointing  was 
at  the  house  of  Simon  the  Pharisee,  in  Galilee ;  the 
second  anointing,  long  subsequent  to  this,  was  at 
the  house  of  Simon  the  Leper,  at  Bethany  (Matt. 
xxvi :  6). 


FORGIVEN  AND  LOVING  MUCH        129 

Nor  need  we  be  misled  by  the  name  Simon, 
occurring  in  each  narrative.  There  was  a  large 
family  of  Simons.  They  may  be  called  the  Smiths 
of  the  Gospels;  while  Judas  is  by  no  means  a 
singular  name,  even  among  the  apostles. 

Sir  Edwin  Arnold  in  his  poem,  "  The  Light  of 
the  World,"  not  only  adopts  the  baseless  tradition 
of  the  Dark  Ages  which  affixes  a  stain  to  the  name 
of  Mary  Magdalene,  but  assumes  that  Mary  of 
Bethany  is  also  the  same  person — thus  blending  in 
one  character  three  different  individuals,  represent- 
ing three  most  distinct  types  of  womanhood.  Yet 
this  may  surprise  us  less  than  to  find  Professor 
David  Smith  in  "  The  Days  of  His  Flesh  "  accept- 
ing the  same  verdict. 

We  carefully  distinguish  between  these  three 
women.  One  came  to  Christ  burdened  with  the 
consciousness  of  sin.  She  sought  pardon,  and  re- 
ceived it.  Jesus  said  to  her  "  Go,  in  peace."  He 
did  not  bid  her  to  come  after  Him  as  one  of  His 
attendants.  That  was  the  woman  that  was  a  sin- 
ner of  the  text,  who  loved  much — we  do  not  know 
her  name,  and  have  no  right  to  call  her  Mary. 

The  second  woman  came  to  Christ  for  heal- 
ing;— for  demoniacal  possessions  implied  only  in- 
firmity and  not  guilt — and  Christ  healed  her;  and 
moved  with  gratitude  she  followed  Him  and  min- 
istered to  Him  of  her  substance.  That  was  Mary 
Magdalene. 

The  third  woman,  the  sister  of  Lazarus  and 


130     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

Martha,  was  drawn  to  Christ  by  her  love  of  the 
truth.  She  chose  the  better  part,  and  delighted  to 
sit  at  the  feet  of  Him  who  was  the  honored  guest 
in  her  home,  and  hear  His  words.  That  was  Mary 
of  Bethany. 

Disassociating  then  this  "  woman  that  was  a 
sinner  "  from  the  two  Marys  of  subsequent  history, 
let  us  gather  up  the  lessons  we  may  learn  from  her 
touching  interview  with  Jesus. 

i.  Jesus  Christ  is  accessible. 

He  never  hid  Himself,  when  He  was  on  earth, 
from  any  earnest  seeker.  Even  when  beyond  the 
borders  of  Israel  He  entered  into  a  house  and 
would  have  no  man  know  it,  "  He  could  not  be 
hid,"  when  a  heathen  woman  pressed  for  a  blessing 
upon  her  afflicted  child. 

Even  when  He  had  retired  for  rest,  after  the 
busy  toils  of  preaching  and  of  healing,  He  could 
not  deny  the  importunate  multitude  that  appealed 
to  His  compassion,  as  sheep,  having  no  shepherd. 

It  was  only  from  the  self-seeking,  pride  and  un- 
belief of  men  that  He  withdrew.  He  was  a  man 
of  the  people.  He  was  willing  to  be  known  as  "  a 
friend  of  publicans  and  sinners."  He  brushed 
away  all  artificial  barriers — all  class  distinctions — 
that  forbade  his  mingling  with  rich  and  poor  alike 
so  far  as  they  would  receive  Him.  The  common 
people  heard  Him  gladly,  and  even  the  Publicans 
and  harlots  many  of  them  entered  the  kingdom, 
won  by  His  faithful,  loving  ministry.     The  Scribes 


FORGIVEN  AND  LOVING  MUCH       131 

and  Pharisees  would  have  been  welcomed  as  freely, 
had  they  not  been  too  full  of  themselves  to  come  to 
Him  as  sinners. 

Never  did  a  public  teacher  mingle  more  freely 
with  His  disciples — never  was  a  skillful  physician 
more  ready  to  relieve  distress  than  was  Jesus  of 
Nazareth. 

Let  the  sin  burdened  come  to  Him.  Yet  it  is  a 
remark  worth  oft  repeating  that  we  have  no  re- 
corded instance  of  His  inviting  any  one  to  come 
to  Him  for  bodily  healing.  He  never  turned  a 
single  applicant  away.  But  He  made  prominent 
the  great  end  of  His  mission  to  heal  the  sin-sick 
souls  of  men  rather  than  their  bodies,  by  urging 
them  everywhere  to  come  to  Him  for  pardon  and 
for  rest.  The  blessing  He  delighted  most  to  con- 
fer was  that  bestowed  upon  this  sinful  woman. 
"  Thy  sins  are  forgiven."  "  Thy  faith  hath  saved 
thee,  go  in  peace."  Surely  then  He  who  never 
turned  away  those  smitten  with  bodily  maladies, 
though  we  have  no  recorded  instance  of  his  taking 
the  initiative  in  bidding  them  seek  healing  of  Him 
■ — unless  we  except  the  case  of  the  impotent  man  at 
the  pool  of  Bethesda — will  never  turn  a  penitent 
seeker  away  who  comes  to  Him  encouraged  by 
His  multiplied,  tender  and  urgent  invitations. 

No  matter  how  far  you  have  wandered — how 
many  are  your  sins — how  aggravated  your  offenses 
■ — how  deep  your  sense  of  unworthiness  and  of 
guilt,  there  stands  the  promise  gleaming  in  letters 


132     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

of  gold  over  the  open  door  of  Christ's  love — "  Him 
that  cometh  unto  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out." 

2.  Let  us  learn  that  no  obstacles  can  prevent  a 
sinner  from  finding  pardon  in  Christ,  who  is 
earnestly  bent  upon  obtaining  it.  This  world  is 
full  of  enemies  to  grace.  Many  are  they  who  will 
not  enter  into  life  themselves  but  who  will  hinder 
those  who  would  enter.  Well  does  Bunyan  repre- 
sent Christian  as  he  was  about  to  enter  the  wicket 
gate,  as  being  shot  at  by  the  archers  of  the  Evil 
one. 

Says  a  pithy  writer,  "  There  never  is  a  knock  at 
heaven's  gate  but  it  sounds  through  hell,  and  devils 
come  out  to  silence  it."  "  Whenever  a  soul  is 
striving  for  heaven,  or  heaven  striving  for  a  soul, 
which  is  but  another  side  of  the  same  truth,  there 
are  two  worlds  at  strife."  * 

An  ungodly  world  throws  its  whole  influence 
against  every  sinner  that  is  pressing  into  the  king- 
dom. Often  a  man's  foes  are  they  of  his  own 
household — for  the  worldly  members  of  a  family 
are  not  pleased  to  have  one  of  their  number  turn 
Christian — and  sometimes  sarcasm,  scorn  and 
petty  annoyances  must  be  endured  from  dearly 
loved  friends  by  those  who  seek  refuge  in  Christ. 
But  most  marvelous  of  all  is  the  opposition  that 
sometimes  meets  awakened  sinners  on  the  part  of 
the  professed  disciples  of  Christ.  The  followers 
of  our  Lord  rebuked  Blind  Bartimeus  for  crying 
*Dr.  Hoge,  "Blind  Bartimeus,"  p.  116. 


FORGIVEN  AND  LOVING  MUCH        133 

out  for  mercy.  They  would  have  had  Him  send 
the  Syrophcenician  woman  away  unheard.  They 
would  even  have  driven  away  the  little  children 
that  nestled  in  His  protecting  arms!  And  this 
Simon  of  Galilee  was  a  member  of  the  Jewish 
Church.  How  scornful  was  his  attitude  toward 
the  lowly  penitent  that  found  refuge  at  the  Savior's 
feet!  He  who  had  no  welcome  for  the  Savior  of 
sinners  in  his  home  had  no  pity  in  his  heart  for  the 
sinner  who  sought  Him  there. 

But  notwithstanding  every  opposition  the  soul 
that  is  bent  upon  obtaining  salvation  shall  find  it. 
Zaccheus  triumphed  over  obstacles  and  placed  him- 
self in  the  Savior's  way.  The  Paralytic  found  a 
way  to  Him  even  through  the  roof  of  the  house. 
This  poor  woman  came  to  Him  tho'  all  society  rose 
up  to  oppose  her,  and  tho'  the  very  owner  of 
the  house  in  which  the  Master  was  would  have 
driven  her  forth  unblessed. 

The  Savior  of  sinners  threw  the  ample  shield  of 
His  protection  and  love  about  her  and  she  was 
safe.  So  will  every  soul  find  refuge  in  Him,  who 
undeterred  by  the  world's  criticisms,  the  world's 
allurements,  or  even  the  opposition  of  professing 
Christians,  seeks  Him  with  the  humble  cry  for 
mercy. 

3.  We  should  learn  that  the  way  to  culti- 
vate love  for  Christ  in  our  hearts  is  to  cultivate 
appreciation  of  what  He  has  done  for  us.  We  are 
not  to  understand  our  Savior's  little  parable  as 


134.     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

teaching  that  Simon  had  been  forgiven  either  much 
or  little.  It  was  not  what  his  sins  were,  as  con- 
trasted with  those  of  the  woman's,  but  what  he 
thought  about  them,  as  contrasted  with  what  the 
poor  woman  thought  about  her  own,  that  served 
to  point  the  moral  of  the  tale.  She  knew  that  she 
was  a  sinner.  She  mourned  over  her  sins — She 
believed  the  promises  of  the  Gospel — She  trusted 
in  the  mercy  of  Jesus — She  found  joy  and  peace 
in  believing — and  her  heart  overflowed  with  love 
because  she  felt  that  she  had  been  forgiven  much. 

Simon  in  the  sight  of  God  may  have  been  just 
as  great  a  sinner — though  his  sins  were  of  a  dif- 
ferent character — but  full  of  pride — self-justifica- 
tion and  self-merit — he  felt -that  he  had  little  need 
of  divine  forgiveness,  and  hence  there  was  in  his 
heart  little  love. 

We  wrong  our  own  souls  when  we  belittle  the 
sins  that  we  believe  our  Savior's  pardon  has  blotted 
out.  What  wonder  our  hearts  grow  cold  toward 
Him  when  we  come  to  think  that  we  do  not  owe 
Him  much?  That  He  has  had  less  to  forgive  in 
us  than  in  other  sinners,  and  that  so  far  as  we  are 
concerned,  we  might  almost  have  been  saved  with- 
out Him,  by  our  pure  goodness  of  heart  or  blame- 
lessness  of  life  or  by  our  good  intentions! 

There  is  a  habit  of  introspection  indeed  that  is 
to  be  condemned.  It  is  not  profitable  to  brood 
over  our  sins  until  the  heart  grows  sick  and  the 
spirit  is  in  despair  and  life  is  made  miserable,  and 


FORGIVEN  AND  LOVING  MUCH        135 

all  helpful  sympathies  with  the  sorrows  of  others 
evaporate  in  the  fumes  of  our  mistaken  sacrifice. 

The  teaching  of  our  Savior  here  is  not  "  remem- 
ber your  sins  and  be  miserable,"  but  "  remember 
your  sins  and  be  happy  in  love."  Whenever  you 
go  into  the  dark  cavern  of  the  past,  take  Christ 
with  you.  And  as  you  see  the  pits  from  which 
His  love  has  drawn  you,  and  discern  now  more 
clearly  how,  here  and  there  "  your  feet  were  almost 
gone,"  and  how  His  mercy  held  you  up  when  you 
were  slipping,  you  will  grasp  more  firmly  that  lov- 
ing hand  that  holds  you  still.  And  learning  more 
and  more  how  much  you  owe,  and  how  much  you 
have  been  forgiven,  the  bond  that  binds  you  to 
Him  will  become  closer  and  stronger. 

Forgiveness  means  more  than  final  salvation. 
The  better  you  understand  forgiveness  the  more 
will  you  realize  that  you  need  it — and  know  that 
you  possess  it — and  this  sense  of  forgiveness  will 
beget  love;  and  this  sense  of  need  will  beget 
humility,  and  your  life  will  be  filled  with  a  peace 
and  joy  that  passes  all  understanding. 

When  we  enter  heaven  at  last  the  great  wonder 
of  our  hearts  will  not  be  that  Manasseh  could  be 
saved,  or  that  Saul  of  Tarsus  could  be  saved,  or 
that  the  dying  thief  could  be  saved,  or  that  the 
woman  that  was  a  sinner  could  be  saved,  but  each 
one  of  us  with  a  heart  overflowing  with  love,  be- 
cause we  then  for  the  first  time  fully  appreciate 
how  much  we  owe  to  Christ  in  the  pardon  of  our 


136     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

sins,  will  say  "  The  wonder  of  wonders  is  that  /  am 
saved-" 


"Witness,  all  ye  hosts  of  heaven, 
My  Redeemer's  tenderness ! 
Love  I  much?     I'm  much  forgiven; 
I'm  a  miracle  of  grace." 


Jesus!  the  very  thought  is  sweet; 

In  that  dear  name  all  heart-joys  meet; 

But  sweeter  than  the  honey  far, 

The  glimpses  of  His  presence  are. 

No  word  is  sung  more  sweet  than  this, 
No  name  is  heard  more  full  of  bliss, 
No  thought  brings  sweeter  comfort  nigh 
Than  Jesus,  Son  of  God  most  high. 

No  tongue  of  mortal  can  express, 
No  letters  write  its  blessedness ; 
Alone,  who  hath  thee  in  his  heart, 
Knows,  love  of  Jesus,  what  thou  art ! 

Jesus,  the  hope  of  souls  forlorn ! 
How  good  to  them  for  sin  who  mourn ! 
To  them  that  seek  thee,  Oh,  how  kind ! 
But  what  art  thou  to  them  that  find? 

O  Jesus,  King  of  wondrous  might! 
O  Victor,  glorious  from  the  fight ! 
Sweetness  that  may  not  be  expressed, 
And  altogether  loveliest! 
Translation  of  an  old  Latin  Hymn,  by  St.  Bernard,  A.D.,  115. 


X 

ANOINTED  AT  BETHANY 


SIX  days  before  the  Passover  our  Lord  came 
to  Bethany.  This  was  the  home  of  Lazarus 
and  his  two  sisters.  Jesus  was  well  known 
in  the  village  having  been  before  this  the  guest  of 
this  interesting  household — and  especially  was  His 
fame  established  there  since  the  resurrection  of 
Lazarus.  His  coming  at  this  time  therefore  awak- 
ened more  than  ordinary  interest  and  four  days 
after  His  arrival,  two  days  before  the  Passover,  a 
feast  was  made  in  His  honor  at  the  house  of  Simon 
the  Leper.  Who  this  Simon  was  we  do  not  know. 
He  may  have  been  the  father  or  the  husband  of 
Martha.  He  may  have  been  healed  of  his  leprosy 
by  Jesus.  He  may  have  left  Martha  a  widow. 
All  this  is  mere  conjecture,  but  Martha  appears 
entirely  at  home  in  the  house,  busied  in  the  undis- 
puted service  that  she  loved,  while  Mary  as  of  old 
lingered  near  the  Savior's  feet.  Lazarus  was  con- 
spicuous among  them  that  sat  at  meat,  for  his 
recent  resurrection  both  endeared  him  the  more  to 
his  own  little  family  and  illustrated  the  power  of 
the  Prophet  whom  they  all  delighted  to  honor. 
137 


138     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

While  the  company  sat — or  rather  reclined — at 
the  table,  Mary  anointed  both  the  head  and  the 
feet  of  Jesus  with  a  costly  ointment,  doubtless  with 
tokens  of  tender  affection  which  were  not  unbecom- 
ing in  a  disciple  who  had  already  been  admitted 
to  loving  intimacy  with  the  Master  and  whose 
warm  gratitude  for  a  brother's  restoration  thus 
sought  expression.  The  term  alabaster-box  is  mis- 
leading. There  is  no  word  for  box  in  the  Greek 
text.  The  vessel  in  which  the  ointment  was  con- 
tained was  an  alabastrum — so-called  from  the  ma- 
terial of  which  it  was  formed — in  shape  like  a  vial 
and  sealed  at  the  top.  Usually  but  a  drop  at  a 
time  was  suffered  to  escape;  but  Mary  broke  the 
seal,  or  the  narrow  neck  of  the  bottle,  and  poured 
out  the  precious  contents  without  stint.  We  need 
to  consider  Eastern  manners  to  understand  this 
scene.  In  Oriental  lands  perfumes  and  highly 
scented  ointments  were  used  with  a  profusion  far 
beyond  our  Western  customs  or  tastes.  The  Bible 
reveals  much  of  this  fondness  for  spices  and  sweet 
odors  and  anointings. 

There  was  no  exception  taken  to  Mary's  act  as 
unusual  or  inappropriate.  The  only  murmuring 
was  at  the  apparent  lavishness  of  the  offering. 
Judas,  who  bore  the  purse,  and  whose  covetous 
eyes  were  open  to  all  possible  means  of  peculation, 
exclaimed  in  well-simulated,  pious  horror — "  Why 
was  not  this  ointment  sold  for  more  than  300  pence 
and  given  to  the  poor  ? "     And  so  unaccustomed 


ANOINTED  AT  BETHANY  139 

are  men  to  independent  thought  that  the  other 
disciples  joined  in  the  condemnation. 

It  was  indeed  a  goodly  offering  and  is  suggestive 
of  the  wealth  of  the  family.  When  we  remember 
that  Philip  estimated  that  two  hundred  pence  would 
nearly  suffice  to  buy  food  for  five  thousand  per- 
sons, we  may  esteem  three  hundred  pence  a  costly 
price  for  a  single  pound  of  perfumery.  Yet  our 
Savior  justifies  Mary's  act  and  throws  the  shield 
of  His  protection  about  her  before  the  company,  as 
He  had  once  before  vindicated  her  from  Martha's 
censorious  complaint. 

"  Let  her  alone.  Why  trouble  ye  the  woman  ? 
For  she  hath  wrought  a  good  work  upon  me.  For 
ye  have  the  poor  with  you  always,  and  whensoever 
ye  will  ye  may  do  them  good ;  but  me  ye  have  not 
always.  She  hath  done  what  she  could.  She  is 
come  aforehand  to  anoint  my  body  to  the  burying. 
Verily  I  say  unto  you,  wheresoever  this  gospel 
shall  be  preached  throughout  the  whole  world,  this 
also  that  she  hath  done  shall  be  spoken  of  for  a 
memorial  of  her."  Perhaps  we  can  better  under- 
stand the  motives  that  impelled  Mary  to  this  un- 
usual service  if  we  discern  not  merely  her  gratitude 
and  affection,  but  her  conspicuous  faith.  It  may 
not  be  too  much  to  say  that  this  humble  disciple 
understood  better  than  even  the  apostles  of  our 
Lord  His  frequent  revelations  concerning  His  ap- 
proaching death. 

Jesus  had  spoken  plainly  to  others  of  His  suffer- 


140     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

ings — and  while  He  had  not  told  her  more  than 
others  as  she  sat  at  His  feet,  her  simple  faith  may 
have  believed  His  words,  when  others,  who  ought 
perhaps  to  have  understood  them  better,  were  stag- 
gered by  them.  And  our  Savior  may  mean  to  de- 
clare the  actual  intention  of  Mary  in  the  words, 
"  She  is  come  beforehand  to  anoint  my  body  to  the 
burying." 

What  she  could  not  hope  to  do  after  the  Savior's 
death,  since  He  had  foretold  that  He  must  die  by 
violence,  she  would  do  beforehand — and  thus 
evince  both  her  faith  and  her  devotion. 

Four  things  we  desire  to  notice  in  this  offering 
of  Mary: 

Its  costliness :  It  was  very  precious  ointment. 

Its  timeliness  :  It  was  given  on  the  only  available 
occasion  for  the  Savior's  burial. 

Its  acceptability :  Jesus  said,  "  She  hath  done 
what  she  could." 

Its  far  reaching  fame  and  influence :  Wherever 
the  Gospel  is  spoken  of  throughout  the  whole 
world  her  Memorial  is  found. 

And,  first,  let  us  observe  that  this  was  no  mean 
offering.  Anointings  among  the  Jews  were  com- 
mon enough,  but  not  with  ointment  so  precious  and 
in  such  abundance.  It  was  perhaps  the  spikenard 
of  India,  not  only  precious  but  pure ;  fit  for  a  mon- 
arch's coronation.  It  was  for  one  who  had  the 
highest  claim  upon  her  devotion  that  Mary  brought 
her  tribute  of  love,  and  she  felt  like  David  when 


ANOINTED  AT  BETHANY  141 

preparing  for  the  temple  building — "  I  will  not 
offer  unto  the  Lord  of  that  which  doth  cost  me 
nothing." 

Had  Mary  been  poor,  a  less  valuable  offering 
might  have  expressed  her  feelings  just  as  truly  and 
as  acceptably  to  Jesus — for  we  remember  His  com- 
mendation of  the  poor  woman  who  cast  two  mites 
into  the  treasury — being  all  her  living.  But  two 
mites  expended  by  a  wealthy  woman  in  her 
Savior's  honor  would  have  been  mean  indeed. 
That  it  is  done  for  Christ  is  enough  to  vindicate  the 
lavishness  of  the  most  costly  offering  ever  laid  at 
His  feet,  and  to  dignify  the  humblest  gift  into  the 
quality  of  a  royal  service.  The  Church  has  wit- 
nessed many  a  princely  benefaction  since  Mary's 
day —  And  examples  of  munificent  giving  to  the 
cause  of  Christ,  when  bestowed  with  Mary's  faith 
and  in  Mary's  spirit,  are  gratifying  to  all  who  love 
the  Lord,  as  they  are  also  pleasing  to  Him.  But  it 
needs  not  abundance  of  means  to  give  a  worthy 
offering  to  Jesus.  That  only  is  a  costly  offering 
that  is  the  fruit  of  self-denial. 

It  is  indeed  a  contemptible  gift  when  a  pro- 
fessed follower  of  Jesus  drops  dimes  or  even 
nickels  into  the  contribution  plate  when  a  collection 
is  taken  for  some  benevolent  object,  while  he 
spends  dollars  for  luxuries  and  even  superfluities; 
but  a  penny  is  not  mean  from  any  one  who  must 
practice  self-denial  to  give  frequently  even  so  much 
as  this.     No  thoughtless  contributor,  who  care- 


142     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

lessly  drops  a  coin  into  a  Church  collection, 
because  he  is  expected  to  give  something,  has 
any  share  in  Mary's  devotion — who  gave  be- 
cause she  loved  to  give,  and  gave  the  best  she 
had. 

There  are  those  who  give  to  Christ  in  other 
forms  than  that  of  worldly  substance.  That  life 
that  Polycarp  joyfully  laid  down  in  martyrdom  for 
the  Lord  whom  he  would  not  live  to  deny;  that  life 
that  Elliott  spent  among  savage  Indians;  that  life 
that  John  G.  Paton  spent  in  the  isolation  of  the 
New  Hebrides;  that  life  that  many  a  devoted  mis- 
sionary is  to-day  pouring  out  in  self -sacrifice  in 
heathen  lands  for  Christ — all  these  are  alabastrums 
of  very  precious  ointment — offerings  that  cost,  and 
are  grateful  as  a  sweet-smelling  savor  to  Him  for 
whom  they  are  joyfully  made. 

There  are  not  wanting  those  in  every  age  who 
cry,  in  the  spirit  of  the  traitor,  at  every  offering 
made  in  Christ's  name,  "  To  what  purpose  is  this 
waste?  "  The  claims  of  the  poor  are  often  urged 
by  those  who  conspicuously  fail  by  their  own 
benevolence  to  demonstrate  that  they  care  for  the 
poor.  It  is  easy  to  make  objections-to  the  form  in 
which  any  loving  heart  chooses  to  express  its  devo- 
tion to  Christ.  "  What  a  mad  scheme  is  this  of 
Haldene's ! "  said  many  in  England,  when  one 
hundred  years  ago  a  magnificent  estate  was  sold 
and  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  devoted  to  Christian 
missions    in    India.     "  How    many    poor    people 


ANOINTED  AT  BETHANY  143 

might  that  money  have  fed  and  clothed."  *  Yet 
perhaps  the  poor  received  a  greater  blessing  than 
would  have  been  theirs  had  the  princely  offering 
been  devoted  solely  to  their  bodily  relief. 

Our  Savior  says  nothing  in  disparagement  of 
that  benevolence  that  seeks  to  lighten  the  burdens 
of  poverty.  "  The  poor  ye  have  always  with  you." 
But  because  we  remember  this  duty  we  must  not 
forget  another  as  imperative.  While  we  feed  the 
hungry  with  the  bread  of  this  life  we  must  not  for- 
get the  spiritual  needs  of  the  perishing  at  home  and 
abroad. 

Nor  may  we  forget  that  the  Church  of  Christ  is 
the  source  of  all  the  world's  boasted  charities — that 
the  motives  that  impel  true  benevolence  into  activity 
are  operative  chiefly  as  the  gospel  of  our  Savior 
flourishes — and  that  to  give  lovingly  in  any  way  to 
strengthen  His  cause  is  to  insure  the  relief  of  the 
poor  whom  the  gospel  forbids  its  followers  to  for- 
get. Yet  the  world's  cold  and  calculating  and 
often  selfish  interest  in  Christian  giving  regards  the 
stream  as  more  important  than  the  fountain ! 

But  that  our  offerings  may  be  justified,  even  in 
unusual  form,  we  may  see  illustrated  as  we  con- 
sider, secondly,  the  timeliness  of  Mary's  anointing. 
It  was  for  the  Savior's  burial  that  she  brought  the 
precious  unguent.  Whether  her  superior  faith  dis- 
cerned all  that  His  approaching  death  involved  or 
not,  she  had  good  reason  to  know  that  what  she  did 
*  Hanna's  "  Life  of  Christ,"  II,  346. 


144     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

to  testify  her  devotion  must  be  soon  done.  She 
found  and  embraced  her  opportunity. 

We  may  see  in  her  action  and  in  our  Lord's 
words,  that  costly  offerings,  even  when  apparently 
wasteful  and  inappropriate,  may  be  justified  partly 
by  the  motive  of  duty  itself,  which  prompts  them, 
and  partly  by  the  transient  opportunity  of  doing 
that  which  must  be  done  soon,  or  not  at  all. 

The  claims  of  the  poor  are  recognized  by  our 
Lord — but  here  was  an  opportunity  for  a  service 
that  could  only  once  be  accomplished.  And  the 
fact  that  such  a  life  was  to  be  offered,  in  such  a 
death  and  for  such  an  end,  fully  justifies  the  most 
costly  offering  love  can  bring  to  show  its  faith  and 
its  sympathy.  The  poor  might  be  relieved  many 
times  before  and  after  the  crucifixion.  Christ's 
body  was  anointed  but  once  for  burial. 

There  are  occasions  that  call  for  unusual  sacri- 
fice of  our  means  for  Christ's  cause,  when  it  is  our 
privilege  to  give  as  we  may  not  always  do.  And 
the  opportunity  of  doing  something  that  shall  bring 
honor  to  our  Lord,  and  prove  a  lasting  blessing  to 
mankind  may  justify  and  even  demand  an  offering 
far  beyond  our  usual  benefactions  to  the  poor. 

To  give  an  offering  that  costs  when  the  ques- 
tion of  establishing  the  Church  of  Christ  in  a  com- 
munity in  strength  or  in  lingering  weakness  may 
be  virtually  decided  upon  by  the  liberality  displayed 
upon  a  certain  occasion — as  when  a  church  debt  is 
to  be  raised — or  a  pastor  secured — or  a  church  is  to 


ANOINTED  AT  BETHANY  145 

be  built  or  refurnished — to  respond  with  a  dona- 
tion that  marks  great  self-denial  when  a  new  insti- 
tution is  to  be  set  upon  its  feet,  whose  influence,  if 
it  be  founded  wisely,  promises  to  be  wide  and  far 
reaching  in  time — to  support  some  faithful  toiler 
in  mission  work,  whose  work  will  soon  be  over — 
all  this  is  to  break  the  Alabastrum  for  Christ. 
And  the  fact  that  the  value  of  what  we  are  called 
to  do  often  depends  upon  our  seizing  present  yet 
fleeting  opportunities  justifies  us  in  an  expenditure 
that  to  less  reflecting  minds  may  be  judged  waste- 
fulness. 

While  writing  these  lines  my  heart  has  been 
saddened  by  the  news  in  a  Denver  paper  of  the 
death  of  a  Christian  philanthropist  who  was  not 
content  to  respond  to  calls  that  were  forced  upon 
him;  but  who,  like  Mary  of  Bethany,  sought  oppor- 
tunity to  do  what  he  could.  Forced  to  Colorado 
by  failing  health,  he  found  in  the  neglected  youth 
of  a  growing  city  the  privilege  he  coveted  of  show- 
ing his  love  for  Christ.  He  gathered  the  children 
who  were  roaming  the  streets  into  a  Mission  Sun- 
day School.  He  associated  others  with  him  in  his 
good  work.  He  gave  with  unstinted  liberality  of 
his  means.  He  won  the  love  of  a  very  large  com- 
munity of  young  people  by  his  devotion  to  their 
interests,  and  in  his  will  he  provided  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  school  he  had  founded,  that  it  might 
be  thoroughly  equipped  with  all  that  could  make  it 
a  power  for  good  in  that  important  city  in  coming 


146     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

years.  There  were  those  doubtless  in  Denver,  as 
they  watched  Mr.  Crane's  zeal  in  building,  and  in 
otherwise  expending  his  means,  who  said  "  To 
what  purpose  is  this  waste  ?  How  many  poor,  and 
how  many  invalids  this  money  might  have  re- 
lieved !  " — Yet,  while  always  liberal  to  the  poor, 
this  far-sighted  friend  of  the  Master  saw  something 
that  must  be  done  for  Him  at  once,  or  never  done 
so  well  or  at  all.  The  children  in  whom  He  saw 
His  loving  Lord  must  be  gathered  early  into  His 
fold,  or  ripen  in  sin  which  the  united  efforts  of  all 
the  churches  of  a  great  city  could  not  arrest.  And 
surely  the  opportunity  is  afforded  many  a  loving 
disciple  of  Jesus  in  any  community — it  may  be 
with  smaller  means  and  with  less  observance — to 
"  go  and  do  likewise." 

It  was  a  delicious  and  delicate  fragrance  that 
immediately  diffused  itself  through  the  whole 
house  as  Mary  poured  the  costly  ointment  upon  the 
Savior's  person;  and  taking  her  hair,  which  is 
woman's  glory,  tenderly  and  lovingly  wiped  His 
feet.  She  stood  behind  Him,  in  speechless  devo- 
tion, but  He  needed  not  to  be  told  who  it  was  that 
touched  Him,  nor  what  was  the  significance  of  the 
service  she  thus  rendered.  And  more  acceptable 
to  Him  than  was  the  odor  to  the  senses  of  the 
assembled  guests  was  the  vital  savor  of  piety  that 
marked  the  holy  action. 

"  She  hath  done  what  she  could ! "  What 
higher  meed  of  approval  could  any  disciple  claim?, 


ANOINTED  AT  BETHANY  147 

Yet  that  this  shall  be  awarded  to  all  who  lovingly 
devote  their  service  to  Christ's  cause  we  have  the 
Master's  own  explicit  testimony. 

It  is  not  every  one  who  can  afford  a  gift  so  ex- 
pensive and  so  rare.  Nor  are  conspicuous  oppor- 
tunities of  performing  service  for  Jesus  equally  of- 
fered to  all.  But  a  cup  of  cold  water  any  one  may 
give  in  Christ's  name — and  in  the  walks  of  daily 
life  may  be  found  a  thousand  occasions  of  multiply- 
ing deeds  of  love  that  shall  be  as  sweet  fragrance  to 
Him  who  has  said  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it 
unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have 
done  it  unto  me." 

We  can  scarcely  wonder  then  in  view  of  all 
that  has  been  said,  at  the  far  reaching  fame  and 
influence  of  Mary's  offering.  The  penetrating 
power  of  odoriferous  molecules,  it  is  well  known, 
is  very  remarkable.  Haller  kept  for  forty  years 
papers  perfumed  with  one  grain  of  ambergris. 
After  this  time  the  odor  was  as  strong  as  ever. 
The  house  of  Simon  was  filled  with  the  odor  of 
Mary's  ointment — but  the  Church  of  God,  which 
is  a  larger  house,  has  been  filled  ever  since  with  a 
fragrance  that  has  delighted  the  whole  family  in 
heaven  and  on  earth. 

How  strikingly  has  our  Lord's  prediction  been 
fulfilled !  "  Wheresoever  this  gospel  shall  be 
preached  throughout  the  whole  world,  there  shall 
also  this,  that  this  woman  hath  done,  be  told  for 
a  memorial  of  her !  "     We  are  fulfilling  His  words 


148     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

to-day.  Indeed  it  would  seem  that  every  gospel 
teacher  is  under  commission  from  the  Master  to 
rehearse  a  story  that  He  has  linked  so  inseparably 
with  the  very  gospel  itself  and  that  has  in  it  such 
precious  lessons. 

It  is  of  the  nature  of  Christian  influence  to 
propagate  itself  in  undying  power  for  good.  An- 
drew brought  his  brother  Simon  to  Jesus — and 
Simon  Peter  won  three  thousand  souls  for  Christ 
upon  the  day  of  Pentecost;  and  the  multiplying 
fruit  of  that  wonderful  day  only  eternity  can  re- 
veal.    And  so  Andrew's  work  still  goes  on. 

Yet  Mary  received  a  mention  and  a  memorial — 
a  wide  spread  reputation — an  unending  remem- 
brance— that  has  been  accorded  to  no  other  believer 
in  Bible  times. 

This  is  the  sole  occasion  in  which  Jesus  ever 
spoke  of  the  after-fame  of  any  service  done  for 
Him — and  this  is  no  light  proof  of  the  illustrious 
faith  that  seized  the  import  of  His  teachings  con- 
cerning His  death.  And  this  memorial  of  Mary 
will  be  the  more  valuable  to  us  if  it  shall  incite  us 
to  follow  and  obtain  "  like  precious  faith." 

Chrysostom,  when  discoursing  upon  this  incident 
said — "  While  the  victories  of  many  kings  and 
generals  are  lost  in  silence,  and  many  who  have 
founded  states  and  reduced  nations  to  subjection, 
are  not  known  by  reputation  or  by  name,  the  pour- 
ing of  ointment  by  this  woman  is  celebrated 
throughout  the  whole  world.     Time  hath  passed 


ANOINTED  AT  BETHANY  149 

away,  but  the  memory  of  the  deed  she  did  hath  not 
waned.  But  Persians  and  Indians  and  Scythians 
and  Thracians  and  the  race  of  the  Mauritanians, 
and  they  who  inhabit  the  British  Isles,  publish 
abroad  an  act  which  was  done  in  Judea  privately  in 
a  house,  by  a  woman."  "  Fourteen  hundred  years 
have  passed  and  gone,"  says  Dr.  Hanna  in  quoting 
this  passage,  "  since  in  the  great  Church  of  St. 
Sophia  at  Constantinople,  Chrysostom  uttered 
these  words,  referring  to  the  British  isles  as  one 
of  the  remotest  places  of  the  then  known  world. 
The  centuries  that  have  rolled  by  since  then  have 
witnessed  many  a  revolution,  not  the  least  wonder- 
ful among  them  the  place  that  these  British  isles 
now  occupy,  but  still  wider  and  wider  is  the  tale  of 
Mary's  anointing  of  her  Master  being  told,  the 
fragrance  of  the  ointment  spreading,  yet  losing 
nothing  of  its  sweetness,  such  fresh  vitality,  such 
self-preserving  power,  lodging  in  a  simple  act  of 
pure  and  fervid  love."  * 

Mary's  precise  opportunity  will  never  be  ac- 
corded to  another.  Mary's  memorial  may  not  be 
yours — But  other  service  you  may  render  that  shall 
be  as  truly  done  to  Christ  and  as  pleasing  in  His 
sight — And  this  shall  be  your  eternal  memorial 
"  That  your  names  are  written  in  heaven!  "  (Luke 
x:2o). 

*  "  Life  of  Christ,"  Vol.  II,  p.  350. 


150     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 


Three  women  crept  at  break  of  day 
A'grope  along  the  shadowy  way, 
Where  Joseph's  tomb  and  garden  lay. 

Each  on  her  throbbing  bosom  bore 
A  burden  of  such  fragrant  store 
As  never  there  had  lain  before. 

Spices,  the  purest,  richest,  best, 
That  e'er  the  musty  East  possessed, 
From  Ind  to  Araby-the-Blest. 

Christ  did  not  need  their  gifts; — and  yet, 
Did  either  Mary  once  regret 
Her  offering? — Did  Salome   fret? 

Myrrh-Bearers  still, — at  home,  abroad, 
What  paths  have  holy  women  trod, 
Burdened  with  votive  gifts  for  God, — 

Rare  gifts,  whose  chief  est  worth  was  priced 
By  this  one  thought,  that  all  sufficed ; — 
Their  spices  had  been  bruised  for  Christ ! 

Margaret  J.  Preston. 


XI 
OUR  LORD'S  SPIRITUAL  FAMILY 

SOME  of  the  most  significant  sayings  of  our 
Savior  were  called  forth  by  interruptions  in 
His  discourses.  The  parable  of  the  Rich 
Fool  sprung  out  of  the  untimely  request  of  a 
covetous  hearer  that  Jesus  would  take  sides  with 
him  in  a  family  dispute  over  an  inheritance.  As 
in  the  fissures  of  the  rocks,  rent  by  the  volcanic  fires 
of  a  by-gone  age,  may  now  be  found  some  of  the 
most  beautiful  mountain  trees  and  flowers,  so  out 
of  these  rent  discourses  of  our  Lord  have  sprung 
teachings  that  are  impressive  and  valuable.* 

Let  us  consider  another  of  these  detached  say- 
ings that  have  their  source  in  interruption.  It  will 
bring  before  us  a  peculiar  phase  of  our  Savior's 
joy.  While  Jesus  was  talking  to  the  multitude  in  a 
private  house,  His  mother  and  His  brethren,  stand- 
ing without,  sent  a  message  to  Him  that  they 
desired  to  speak  to  Him.  We  do  not  know  what 
prompted  them  to  make  this  request.  No  doubt 
their  motives  were  good,  and  presumably  they  were 
unselfish.     Solicitude  for  His  safety  is  the  most 

*  The  suggestion  is  from  Dr.  Arnot. 
151 


152     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

plausible  explanation  we  can  find.  He  had  but 
lately  broken  with  the  Pharisees.  The  news  had 
quickly  spread.  His  friends  said,  "  He  is  beside 
Himself."  His  nearer  relatives,  too,  were  filled 
with  alarm;  and  Mary,  His  mother,  seemed  to 
feel  the  prophetic  sword  pierce  through  her  own 
soul.  Swayed  by  motives  of  policy,  and  forgetful 
of  the  words  in  the  Temple,  which  she  had  laid  up 
and  pondered  in  her  heart,  she  thinks  now  to  inter- 
pose and  save  Him  from  the  ruin  He  is  precipi- 
tating for  Himself.  These  family  friends  of  Jesus 
think  He  does  not  Himself  appreciate  the  dangers 
to  which  He  is  exposed.  They  would  put  Him  on 
His  guard,  or  withdraw  Him  to  a  place  of  safety; 
and  they  cannot  wait  until  He  finishes  with  the 
people,  lest  at  any  moment  He  may  say  or  do  some- 
thing that  shall  fan  the  rising  opposition  into  the 
white  heat  of  a  consuming  fire.  Like  His  disciples 
on  other  occasions  they  presume  to  instruct  Him. 
His  answer  rebukes  at  once  their  presumption  and 
their  worldly  policy,  while  it  defines  the  intimate 
relationship  that  exists  between  Him  and  all  who 
are  found  in  harmony  with  the  divine  will,  "  My 
mother  and  my  brethren  are  these  who  hear  the 
word  of  God  and  do  it." 

It  is  a  sufficient  answer  to  those  who  assign  to 
Mary,  the  mother  of  our  Lord,  "  the  place  of  a  god- 
dess in  the  Roman  mythology,"  that  she,  on  the 
one  hand  does  not  here  assert  her  authority  over 
her  divine  Son,  and  that  He  on  the  other,  does 


OUR  LORD'S  SPIRITUAL  FAMILY   153 

not  hesitate  gently  to  rebuke  her,  as  He  did  in  Cana 
of  Galilee,  at  the  Marriage  Feast. 

She  does  not  here  command,  but  sends  a  message 
to  Jesus.  He  apparently  does  not  even  grant  her 
request  for  an  interview.  It  was  important  that 
His  own  family,  as  well  as  the  multitude,  should 
understand  that  His  relations  to  His  mother  and 
His  brethren  were  not  on  the  same  footing  with 
those  of  other  men;  and  that  even  the  claims  of 
kindred  were  to  be  subordinated  to  His  divine  call- 
ing. 

We  may  learn  this  lesson  in  passing,  that  when 
we  meet  with  hindrances  and  obstructions  in  the 
path  of  duty,  even  when  they  have  their  source  in 
the  solicitude  of  our  kindred,  we  are  warranted 
in  disregarding  them.  Lesser  claims  must  yield  to 
greater.  Even  a  brother,  a  sister,  a  mother  must 
have  less  regard  than  Christ.  Our  duty  to  God 
must  have  the  preference.  A  parent  has  no  right 
to  command  our  obedience  in  anything  that  contra- 
venes the  will  of  God.  It  is  hard,  sometimes,  to 
make  the  choice  between  earthly  and  heavenly 
authority ;  but  we  have  divine  warrant  for  holding 
that  "  we  ought  to  obey  God  rather  than  men." 
And  our  Savior  has  said,  "  Whoso  loveth  father 
and  mother  more  than  me  is  not  worthy  of  me." 

Yet  we  are  to  be  careful,  on  the  other  hand,  not 
to  make  so-called  religious  duties  an  excuse  for 
neglecting  our  kindred;  for  abating  natural  affec- 
tion, showing  disrespect  to  parents,  or  manifesting 


154     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

impatience  with  those  who,  however  wrong  they 
may  be  in  their  opposition,  have  a  right  to  our  con- 
sideration and  esteem.  Our  Lord  does  not  here 
disparage  His  mother  or  His  brethren.  He  does 
not  mean  to  disown  them.  Only  He  affirms  the 
superior  claims  of  His  heavenly  Father,  whose 
will  He  was  seeking  to  fulfill,  and  He  makes  the 
earthly  relationship  a  standard  of  comparison  by 
which  He  may  declare  His  love  for  all  who  will  be 
His  disciples. 

It  is  as  if  He  had  said,  in  answer  to  the  one  who 
told  Him,  "  Behold  Thy  mother  and  Thy  brethren 
stand  without,"  "  You  recognize  my  affection  for 
my  kindred.  Let  this  illustrate  my  love  for 
my  larger  circle  of  true  believers.  I  have  another 
family, — a  spiritual  household.  It  embraces  all 
who  love  to  do  the  will  of  God.  My  mother  is  in- 
deed highly  favored  and  has  been  called  blessed 
among  women;  but  rather  blessed  are  they  who 
hear  the  word  of  God  and  keep  it.  My  brothers 
according  to  the  flesh  are  honored  and  beloved ;  but 
the  least  and  humblest  among  men  may  share  equal 
privileges,  '  For  whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  my 
Father  which  is  in  heaven,  the  same  is  my  brother 
and  sister  and  mother.'  " 

Matthew  and  Mark  have  preserved  for  us  a 
picture  of  our  Lord's  attitude  upon  this  occasion. 
"  He  looked  round  upon  them  which  sat  about 
Hrm."  Oh  gaze  of  affectionate  and  tender  recog- 
nition!    How  much  may  be  expressed  in  a  look! 


OUR  LORD'S  SPIRITUAL  FAMILY   155 

He  looked  round,  as  if  seeking  His  own;  and 
when  His  eyes  lit  upon  them  He  stretched  forth 
His  hand  toward  His  disciples,  as  if  to  point 
them  out  to  others,  and  said,  "  Behold,  my  mother 
and  my  brethren."  It  was  as  if  He  said,  "  I  am 
not  bound  as  are  other  men  to  a  single  household ; 
but  embrace  as  equally  dear  to  me  all  who  do  the 
will  of  my  Father  in  heaven." 

Let  us  consider  the  condition  upon  which  we  may 
become  members  of  Christ's  spiritual  household, 
and  the  privileges  of  this  connection. 

Will  controls  all  intelligent  action.  The  only 
question  is  whose  will  shall  control.  Ungodly 
men  do  the  will  of  the  Evil  One.  They  are  "  taken 
captive  by  him  at  his  will"  (2  Tim.  ii:26). 
Weak  men  do  the  will  of  others.  The  maxims  of 
society  have  more  weight  with  them  than  the  law 
of  God.  Fear  or  favor  easily  moves  them.  They 
have  not  the  courage  to  say  "  We  ought  to  obey 
God  rather  than  men."  Self-willed  men  are  a  law 
unto  themselves.  They  do  not  recognize  God's 
authority.  They  never  bow  their  knees  to  Him  in 
prayer.  They  never  inquire  what  He  would  have 
them  do.  They  follow,  so  far  as  possible,  the  bent 
of  their  own  wishes.  They  are  self-indulgent, 
self-satisfied,  "  lovers  of  pleasures  more  than 
lovers  of  God." 

In  contrast  with  all  this  is  character  of  the  true 
Christian.  The  language  of  his  heart  is,  "Not 
my  will,  O  God,  but  Thine  be  done."    He  delights 


156     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

in  God's  holy  law.  He  sees  in  God  a  Father  to 
whom  he  owes  a  filial  devotion,  a  Sovereign  to 
whom  he  owes  absolute  obedience,  a  Benefactor  to 
whom  he  is  bound  by  ties  of  gratitude,  a  Savior 
who  holds  his  heart  to  loyalty  by  the  constraint  of 
an  overpowering  love.  He  obeys  not  as  a  hireling 
nor  as  a  slave  but  as  a  son.  He  bows  before  God 
in  prayer  with  the  constant  petition  in  his  heart, 
"  Teach  me  to  do  Thy  will."  He  searches  the 
Scriptures  that  the  law  of  his  God  may  be  in  his 
heart,  and  he  finds  there  his  sufficient  guide. 
"  Thy  word  is  a  lamp  unto  my  feet  and  a  light  unto 
my  path."  In  affliction  he  is  submissive,  in  pros- 
perity he  is  humble,  in  active  duty  he  is  zealous, 
in  all  things  he  strives  to  have  a  conscience  void  of 
offence  toward  God  and  toward  men. 

Some  do  the  will  of  God  partially.  They  excel 
in  certain  duties  that  are  congenial  to  their  tastes 
or  desires  and  disregard  others  that  are  irksome  or 
that  call  for  self-denial.  Some  are  ready  to  visit 
the  fatherless  and  the  widows  in  their  affliction,  but 
not  ready  to  relieve  their  distress.  Some  are  faith- 
ful in  their  attendance  upon  the  sanctuary,  but  they 
do  not  give  as  God  has  prospered  them  for  the 
support  of  religion.  Some  give  to  the  Church, 
but  forsake  the  assembling  of  themselves  together 
for  worship.  Some  bow  in  the  sanctuary  who 
never  pray  in  the  closet.  Some  are  kind  with  their 
hands  but  sharp  with  their  tongues.  Some  pay  the 
debts  they  owe  to  society  but  forget  the  debts  they 


OUR  LORDS  SPIRITUAL  FAMILY    157 

owe  to  the  cause  of  Christ.  Some  keep  the  vine- 
yards of  others  with  great  care,  but  are  quite 
neglectful  of  their  own.  Some  are  careful  not  to 
defraud  others  of  their  substance  but  thoughtless  of 
the  damage  they  may  inflict  upon  their  good  name. 
Some  are  generous  in  giving  money  but  grudging 
of  their  time  and  service  and  hospitality.  The  re- 
quirements of  our  holy  religion  are  indeed  far 
reaching.  "  Thy  commandment  is  exceeding 
broad."  The  will  of  God  embraces  general  prin- 
ciples and  particular  laws.  He  only  is  in  sympathy 
with  God  who  delights  to  do  in  all  things  just  as 
God  would  have  him  do.  Who  obeys  God  not  be- 
cause it  suits  his  humor,  but  because  it  is  right, 
and  who  makes  no  choice  of  duties,  saying,  "  these 
I  will  do  and  these  I  will  leave  undone ;"  but  cheer- 
fully recognizes  every  duty  as  important  and  trans- 
gression in  any  particular  as  perilous.  As  no  one 
can  possibly  tell  what  great  issues  may  hang  upon 
the  smallest  action  done  or  omitted,  the  only  safety 
lies  in  complete  obedience  to  the  entire  will  of  God. 
The  aim  and  prayer  of  the  Christian  continually  is 
"  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  done  in  heaven." 
God's  will  is  done  in  heaven  impartially,  perfectly, 
continually  and  lovingly;  and  earth  is  like  heaven 
only  as  men  learn  to  practice  with  like  spirit  a 
willing  obedience. 

Now  it  is  not  claimed  that  the  condition  of  ad- 
mission into  our  Savior's  family  is  that  of  perfect 
obedience.     Christ  has  no  perfect  saints  on  earth. 


158     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

All  have  various  imperfections.  All  come  short 
in  many  particulars.  There  has  been  but  one  sin- 
less character  among  men  and  He  is  our  great  Pat- 
tern and  Exemplar.  But  he  who  would  be  num- 
bered among  Christ's  followers  must  make  it  his 
aim  to  obey  God  in  all  things.  It  must  be  his  de- 
light to  do  God's  will  and  his  grief  to  discover  at 
any  point  that  he  is  deficient  in  obedience.  The 
controlling  principle  of  his  life  must  be  that  of  Him 
who  said,  "  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  Him  that 
sent  me  and  to  finish  His  work."  And  the  prayer 
of  Epaphras  for  the  Colossian  Christians  is  one  he 
makes  continually  for  himself,  that  he  may  "  stand 
perfect  and  complete  in  all  the  will  of  God." 

These  are  the  characters  whom  Christ  loves. 
They  possess  His  spirit;  they  bear  His  image;  they 
love  what  He  loves ;  they  pursue  what  He  pursues ; 
they  hate  what  is  hateful  to  Him;  they  pity  those 
whom  He  pities ;  forgive  those  whom  He  forgives, 
even  their  enemies,  and  they  seek  the  lost  as  He 
seeks  them  and  rejoice  over  their  salvation  as  He 
rejoices.  In  all  cases  the  image  is  not  the  perfect 
pattern;  but  it  is  like  it.  Believers  are  not  gods; 
but  they  are  new  creatures,  and  gazing  upon  Him 
whom  their  souls  love  they  are  changed  into  the 
same  image,  from  glory  to  glory. 

Christ  delights  in  the  fruits  of  holiness  seen  in 
His  people,  imperfect  as  they  are.  And  on  some 
accounts  they  are  more  pleasing  to  Him  than  those 
seen    in    the    angels    in    heaven.     "  Holiness    in 


OUR  LORD'S  SPIRITUAL  FAMILY   159 

heaven,"  says  Dr.  Edward  Payson,"  is  like  flowers 
in  Spring  or  fruit  in  Autumn,  when  they  are  ex- 
pected ;  but  holiness  in  a  world  so  depraved  as  this 
is  like  fruit  and  flowers  in  the  depths  of  winter;  or 
like  the  blossoms  and  almonds  on  Aaron's  rod, 
which  proceed  from  a  dead  and  sapless  branch. 
When  the  delicious  fruits  of  Southern  climes  can 
be  made  by  the  gardener's  skill  to  flourish  in  our 
Northern  regions,  they  are  far  more  admired  and 
prized  than  while  growing  in  rich  abundance  in 
their  native  soil.  So  when  holiness,  whose  native 
soil  is  heaven,  is  found  in  the  comparatively  frozen 
and  barren  soil  of  this  world,  which  lieth  in  wicked- 
ness, it  is  viewed  by  the  Lord  of  heaven,  with 
peculiar  pleasure  and  delight." 

So  much  in  description  of  those  whom  Christ 
counts  among  His  spiritual  kindred,  and  calls  by 
the  endearing  names  "  my  mother,  my  brother,  my 
sister."  And  now  briefly  let  us  consider  the  privi- 
leges embraced  in  this  relationship. 

The  first  is  that  of  honor.  It  was  a  distinguish- 
ing honor  to  belong  to  the  family  of  Jesus.  The 
angel  who  announced  His  birth  spoke  of  Mary  as 
highly  favored  and  blessed  among  women;  and 
truly  she  was.  And  whether  these  brethren  were 
also  the  sons  of  Mary  or  only  the  cousins  of  our 
Lord,  they  might  well  prize  a  relationship  that 
brought  them  within  the  circle  of  His  kindred  ac- 
cording to  the  flesh.  No  members  of  a  royal 
family  ever  attained  to  so  high  a  position,  by  virtue 


160     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

of  their  connection  with  the  monarch  who  sat  upon 
the  throne.  Though  Jesus  of  Nazareth  dwelt  in 
lowly  estate  among  men,  these  humble  peasants  of 
Galilee  who  were  His  kindred  friends  will  be  re- 
membered while  time  shall  last,  though  thousands 
are  forgotten  whom  the  Caesars,  the  Alexanders, 
and  the  Napoleons  of  the  world  have  raised  to 
honor.  But  the  honor  of  being  thus  highly  con- 
nected was  not  confined  to  the  so-called  "  holy 
family."  Jesus  extends  the  prerogatives  that  are 
His  as  Lord  of  all  to  every  one  whom  He  has 
adopted  into  the  household  of  faith.  "  For  whoso- 
ever shall  do  the  will  of  my  Father  in  heaven  the 
same  is  my  brother  and  sister  and  mother." 

"  To  you  therefore  which  believe  He  is 
precious  "  (Pet.  ii :  7).  The  R.  V.  reads  "  To  you 
...  is  the  honor."  What  honor  is  like  that  of 
kinship  with  the  Lord  of  glory?"  To  have  a 
President,  a  Governor  or  an  Emperor  press  our 
hand  in  some  distinguished  assembly  and  address 
us  in  the  terms,  "  My  brother,  or  my  sister,"  would 
be  a  small  thing  compared  with  the  glory  that  is  be- 
stowed upon  us  when  He  who  is  King  of  kings 
and  Lord  of  lords  declares  He  is  not  ashamed  to 
call  us  brethren !  To  belong  to  Christ, — to  be  near 
to  Christ, — to  be  like  Christ, — this  is  the  privilege 
of  believers, — and  greater  glory  is  to  follow;  for 
our  Elder  Brother  has  declared,  "  Whoso  shall 
confess  Me  before  men,  him  shall  the  Son  of  man 
also  confess  before  the  angels  of  God  "  (Luke  xii : 


OUR  LORD'S  SPIRITUAL  FAMILY   161 

8)    and   again,    "To  him   that   overcometh    will 
I  grant  to  sit  with  me  in  my  throne"   (Rev.  iii : 

21).     • 

Again,  the  privilege  accorded  those  who  are  in 
the  household  of  Christ  is  that  of  instruction. 
Christ's  brethren  are  His  disciples.  They  learn  of 
Him.  They  are  taught  of  the  Lord.  They  have 
advantages  of  knowledge  that  others  do  not  share. 
Family  secrets  are  not  disclosed  to  strangers. 
"  The  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that  fear 
Him,  and  He  will  show  them  His  covenant." 
There  are  truths  of  religion  that  can  be  grasped 
only  by  a  mind  submissive  to  Christ.  "  If  any  man 
will  do  His  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine 
whether  it  be  of  God." 

How  blessed  a  thing  it  is  to  have  for  our  in- 
structor one  who  says  "  Whosoever  shall  do  the 
will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven  the  same  is 
my  brother  and  sister  and  mother." 

They  who  thus  belong  to  Christ  He  loves  with 
peculiar  affection.  The  divine  love  is  indeed  of- 
fered to  all.  "  God  is  love."  And  "  God  so  loved 
the  world."  But  love  admits  of  difference  both  in 
quality  and  degree.  God  cannot  love  angels,  saints 
and  sinners  with  the  same  affection.  Ties  of  kin- 
dred assert  their  claims  among  men  and  are  of  di- 
vine ordering.  The  proverb  is  significant,  if  lack- 
ing in  dignity,  "  Blood  is  thicker  than  water."  We 
cannot  love  all  men  with  the  emotions  that  stir  us 
when  we  think  of  a  brother,  a  sister,  a  mother. 


162     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

Now  Christ's  love  for  those  who  bear  His  image, 
however  imperfectly,  is  like  that  which  we  ought 
to  cherish  toward  those  who  stand  nearest  to  us 
in  these  earthly  relationships.  A  mother!  Who 
can  measure  the  love  called  forth  from  the  heart 
of  dutiful  sons  or  daughters  toward  one  who  has 
given  them  birth,  nourished  and  cared  for  them  in 
infancy  and  childhood,  and  poured  the  wealth  of 
her  sympathy,  tenderness  and  instruction  upon 
them  as  long  as  she  lived  ?  Jesus  Himself  has  set 
us  an  example  of  filial  gratitude  and  devotion, 
when  on  the  cross  He  turned  His  dying  gaze  to- 
ward Mary  and  the  disciple  whom  He  loved  and 
said  to  him,  "  Son,  behold  thy  mother !  "  His  last 
office  of  love  before  He  died  was  toward  her  that 
bare  Him.  Seeing  the  sword  piercing  her  soul, 
He  forgot  her  not  in  the  midst  of  His  torments  but 
commissioned  John  to  take  her  to  his  own  home. 
Yet  this  was  but  a  type  of  His  love  for  all  who  love 
the  things  that  He  loves. 

How  affecting  was  that  scene  in  the  upper  room, 
where  Christ  had  His  last  interview  with  His  dis- 
ciples. His  love  how  amazing,  how  condescend- 
ing, how  tender,  stronger  than  death,  more  endur- 
ing than  time,  passing  knowledge !  "  Having 
loved  His  own  which  were  in  the  world,  He  loved 
them  unto  the  end."  "  Greater  love  hath  no  man 
than  this,"  He  said,  "  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life 
for  his  friends."  "  Ye  are  my  friends,  if  ye  do 
whatsoever   I  command  you."     "  For  whosoever 


OUR  LORD'S  SPIRITUAL  FAMILY   163 

shall  do  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven 
the  same  is  my  brother,  and  sister  and  mother." 

If  you  thus  belong  to  Christ  "  you  are  no  more 
strangers  and  foreigners,  but  fellow-citizens  of 
the  saints  and  of  the  household  of  God."  "  Set 
your  affection  on  things  above."  Christ  is  there. 
Those  who  have  gone  before  are  there.  There 
shall  all  who  do  the  will  of  God  be  finally  gathered 
to  go  no  more  out.  And  there,  with  Him  who 
has  loved  us  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  His 
own  blood,  we  shall  forever  be  at  home. 


164     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 


"  I  worship  thee,  sweet  will  of  God, 

And  all  thy  ways  adore; 
And  every  day  I  live,  I  long 

To  love  thee  more  and  more. 

Man's  weakness,  waiting  upon  God, 

Its  end  can  never  miss ; 
For  men  on  earth  no  work  to  do 

More  angel-like  than  this. 

He  always  wins  who  sides  with  God, 

To  him  no  chance  is  lost ; 
God's  will  is  sweetest  to  him  when 

It  triumphs  at  his  cost. 

Ill,  that  God  blesses,  is  our  good, 

And  unblest  good  is  ill ; 
And  all  is  right  that  seems  most  wrong, 

If  it  be  his  dear  will. 

When  obstacles  and  trials  seem 

Like  prison-walls  to  be, 
I  do  the  little  I  can  do, 

And  leave  the  rest  to  thee. 

I  have  no  cares,  oh,  blessed  will! 

For  all  my  cares  are  thine ; 
I  live  in  triumph,  Lord,  for  thou 
Hast  made  my  triumphs  thine." 


XII 

THAT  GOOD  PART 

'T"|  [~1HAT  good  part."  Thus  our  Lord  desig- 
nates the  portion  Mary  of  Bethany  had 
chosen.  How  striking  and  significant  is 
His  expression,  and  yet  how  simple  it  is!  Only 
three  short  monosyllables,  yet  in  them  He  sums 
up  the  blessings  of  the  Gospel.  "  Never  man 
spake  like  this  man."  The  pearls  he  lets  fall  in  all 
His  teachings  are  well  worth  picking  up;  for  He 
never  spoke  one  idle  word,  and  even  His  most 
casual  remarks  are  full  of  instruction. 

They  who  work  in  gold  treasure  up  the  smallest 
portions  of  the  precious  metal,  and  even  the  dust 
of  the  floor  of  the  mint  is  found  to  be  worth  pre- 
serving. More  precious  than  gold  is  every  word 
of  the  Lord,  and  we  may  find  enough  to  occupy  us 
in  profitable  meditation  if  we  consider  only  this 
brief  characterization  of  true  religion  as  that  good 
part. 

We  need  have  no  loss  to  understand  what  the 
Savior  means  by  these  words.  Mary's  example 
sufficiently  explains  them.     Let  us  recall  the  scene. 

Jesus  is  in  the  home  at  Bethany  as  an  honored 
guest;  but  Martha,  flustered,  heated,  troubled  to 

165 


166     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

irritation,  literally  distracted,  missed  the  essence  of 
true  hospitality. 

In  what  does  it  consist?  Not  in  elaborate  en- 
tertainment and  painful  service  which  often  causes 
embarrassment  rather  than  enjoyment  to  those 
who  are  invited  to  share  it ;  but  in  so  deferring  to  a 
guest's  tastes  and  wishes  that  he  may  feel  at  per- 
fect ease,  while  such  real  bodily  wants  as  he  may 
have  are  taken  care  of. 

Jesus  cared  more  for  the  society  of  His  Bethany 
friends  than  He  did  for  feasting.  The  Son  of 
man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto  but  to  minister. 
He  prized  the  engagements  of  social  life  for  the 
opportunities  they  afforded  Him  of  profitable  con- 
versation in  familiar  friendly  intercourse.  He  had 
a  wealth  of  instruction  to  impart,  and  nothing  de- 
lighted Him  more  than  to  have  a  willing  hearer 
drink  in  the  gracious  words  that  proceeded  out  of 
His  mouth.  Mary  discerned  this.  She  saw  what 
Jesus  chiefly  longed  for,  and  she  did  what  was  most 
congenial  to  His  spirit.  It  was  not  that  she  was 
neglectful  of  the  duties  of  the  household,  but  that 
she  prized  the  companionship  of  the  Master,  and 
knew  that  He  rejoiced  to  have  her  there  that  she 
"  sat  at  Jesus'  feet,  and  heard  His  word."  It  was 
indeed  a  delightful  season  in  the  joyful  hours  of 
Jesus ;  and  we  may  better  understand,  when  we  re- 
member this,  His  ready  defence  of  this  loyal  and 
loving  disciple;  "  Mary  hath  chosen  that  good  part, 
which  shall  not  be  taken  away  from  her." 


THAT  GOOD  PART  167 

Why  is  this  thing  that  Mary  chose, — fellowship 
with  Jesus,  true  religion,  vital  piety, — distinctively 
"that  good  part?  "  It  is  evident  that  the  meaning 
here  is  pre-eminently  good.  Every  good  gift  is 
from  above;  but  there  is  a  choice  of  good  things. 
"  Get  the  best  "  is  a  slogan  that  may  well  apply  to 
religion.  Why  is  the  religion  the  Savior  here  com- 
mends not  only  good  but  the  best;  so  that  it  is  em- 
phatically that  good  part  ? 

We  answer,  first,  because  it  is  needful.  There 
are  many  things  that  are  desirable  that  are  not 
needful.  A  watch  presents  a  better  appearance 
in  a  gold  case  than  in  one  of  baser  metal.  The 
gold  case  is  not  needful,  it  is  only  ornamental. 
But  if  the  main-spring  be  lacking,  the  watch  ceases 
to  be  of  any  value  as  a  time  piece,  no  matter  how 
rich  the  case  that  encloses  the  works. 

So,  steam  is  needful,  or  essential,  for  a  steam  en- 
gine; and  no  amount  of  glitter  and  display,  how- 
ever attractive,  can  make  up  for  its  loss.  So  there 
are  many  things  in  life  that  are  desirable  at  times, 
in  their  proper  places,  that  are  not  needful,  or 
essential,  to  our  well-being  and  happiness.  This  is 
true  even  of  our  physical  life.  Rich  dainties  are 
luxuries  and  sometimes  the  appetite  craves  them. 
It  is  not  needful  that  we  feast  upon  them;  but 
without  substantial  food  we  must  starve.  Our 
daily  bread  is  needful  for  the  body.  It  is  not 
needful  that  we  breathe  sweet  perfumes;  but  our 
lungs  must  have  air,  if  we  are  to  live.     Beautiful 


168     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

pictures  and  pleasing  landscapes  are  not  needful 
to  the  sight ;  but  we  must  have  light  in  order  to  see 
at  all.  Life  itself  is  needful  for  our  enjoyment  of 
any  material,  intellectual  or  social  good.  Take 
away  what  this  one  word  life  represents,  and  what 
are  wealth,  or  honors,  or  pleasures  or  friendships? 
They  are  absolutely  valueless.  "  All  that  a  man 
hath  will  he  give  for  his  life."  All  the  possessions 
of  body  and  mind  vanish  if  life  is  lost.  It  is  need- 
ful for  our  present  well-being. 

If  this  is  true  of  the  natural  life,  it  is  also  true 
of  the  spiritual  life  of  the  soul.  There  can  be  no 
spiritual  prosperity  and  happiness  without  spiritual 
life. 

Our  Savior  says,  "  Except  a  man  be  born 
again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God."  And 
this  life,  which  begins  with  the  new  birth,  can  be 
found  only  in  Christ.  "  He  that  hath  the  Son  hath 
life,  and  he  that  hath  not  the  Son  of  God  hath  not 
life."  "  Except  ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  God, 
and  drink  His  blood,  ye  have  no  life  in  you." 
Christ  is  the  one  thing  needful  to  the  beginning  of 
the  spiritual  life,  and  to  its  continuance  and  com- 
pleteness. Some  things  are  made  needful  by  acci- 
dent or  circumstance.  They  are  occasionally  need- 
ful. But  Christ  is  always,  absolutely  and  su- 
premely needful.  Needful  for  every  one,  and  for 
all  men.  Needful  in  health  and  in  sickness;  in 
poverty  and  in  wealth ;  in  loneliness  and  in  society, 
in  loss  and  in  gain;  in  dishonor  and  in  favor;  in 


THAT  GOOD  PART  169 

defeat  and  in  triumph;  in  life  and  in  death;  in 

time  and  in  eternity;  and  never  more  needful  than 

when  all  other  things  are  gone  and  there  is  nothing 

else! 

"Jesus,  engrave  it  on  my  heart 
That  Thou  the  one  thing  needful  art. 
I  could  from  all  things  parted  be ; 
But  never,  never,  Lord,  from  Thee. 

Needful  is  Thy  most  precious  blood 
To  reconcile  my  soul  to  God ; 
Needful  is  Thine  indulgent  care ; 
Needful  Thine  all  prevailing  prayer." 

What  wonder  that  Jesus  says,  "  Seek  ye  first  the 
kingdom  of  God,  and  His  righteousness."  And 
he  adds  the  promise,  "  All  these  things  shall  be 
added  unto  you."  This  is  that  good  part,  then, 
further,  because  it  embraces  all  other  good  things. 
"  He  that  spared  not  His  own  Son,  but  delivered 
Him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall  He  not  with  Him  also 
freely  give  us  all  things? 

We  are  not  to  understand  that  we  are  promised 
absolutely  all  things  of  a  worldly  nature;  but  He 
will  give  us  all  such  things  as  are  needful  for  our 
welfare,  and  all  things  absolutely  that  are  needful 
for  a  complete  Christian  character  and  an  abund- 
ant inheritance  in  Christ.  There  are  many  things 
that  we  need  in  order  to  salvation,  but  they  are  so 
united  that  they  are  virtually  one  thing,  and  are 
all  embraced  in  that  good  part.  We  are  saved  by 
faith  alone ;  but  not  by  the  faith  that  is  alone.  The 
apostle  Peter  enjoins  us,  "  Giving  all  diligence,  add 


170     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

to  your  faith  virtue ;  and  to  virtue,  knowledge ;  and 
to  knowledge,  temperance;  and  to  temperance,  pa- 
tience ;  and  to  patience,  godliness ;  and  to  godliness, 
brotherly  kindness;  and  to  brotherly  kindness, 
charity."  These  are  not  independent  virtues,  suc- 
cessively attained,  but  all  meet  and  harmonize  in 
the  same  Christian  character. 

So  is  it  with  all  other  blessings  of  salvation; 
justification,  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  sanctification, 
prayer,  repentance,  strength  and  willingness  to  do 
God's  will,  are  all  the  fruits  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
If  we  have  any  one  of  these  things  we  have  them 
all  in  some  measure. 

We  may  find  illustration  of  this  unity  of  the 
things  that  accompany  salvation  when  we  consider 
our  physical  being.  There  are  many  things  neces- 
sary to  a  complete  physical  manhood.  A  good 
heart,  healthy  circulation  of  the  blood  in  the  veins 
and  arteries,  sound  lungs,  a  well-balanced  nervous 
system  and  brain,  the  organs  that  take  care  of  the 
digestion  and  the  assimilation  of  food;  all  these 
things  are  vital ;  but  they  are  so  connected  that  if 
we  have  any  of  them  we  have  them  all. 

So  is  it  with  the  spiritual  man.  The  vital  things 
that  belong  to  our  salvation  and  spiritual  life  are 
so  bound  together  that  we  cannot  have  any  of  them 
without  having  the  rest;  though,  as  is  often  the 
case  in  the  physical  man,  certain  needful  elements 
of  our  spiritual  life  are  more  strongly  developed 
than  others. 


THAT  GOOD  PART  171 

There  is  nothing,  however,  conflicting  among 
them.  One  grace  is  never  cultivated  at  the  ex- 
pense of  another.  They  mutually  support  and 
strengthen  each  other.  Faith  promotes  prayer; 
and  prayer  increases  faith.  Humility  promotes 
penitence,  and  penitence  increases  humility.  Love 
opens  the  heart  to  spiritual  knowledge,  and  knowl- 
edge deepens  love.  Faith,  knowledge,  humility 
and  patience  strengthen  hope;  and  hope  maketh 
not  ashamed,  because  the  love  of  God  is  shed 
abroad  in  the  heart.  In  fact,  we  may  consider  the 
bearing  of  one  Christian  grace  upon  another,  in 
endless  variety,  without  finding  any  jarring  or  con- 
flicting interests  among  them. 

The  reverse  is  true  of  the  various  things  that 
men  esteem  needful  apart  from  Christ.  Riches 
are  often  amassed  at  the  expense  of  health,  and 
sometimes  of  character  and  reputation.  Coveted 
positions  are  often  obtained  at  the  sacrifice  of 
friendship  or  of  honor.  To  acquire  learning,  men 
give  up  money-making,  social  engagements  and 
pleasures;  while  those  carried  away  with  sensual 
indulgence  must  pay  the  price  in  money,  health, 
reputation  and  ease  of  conscience.  And  the 
passions  themselves  that  are  aroused  in  the  pur- 
suit of  these  separate  and  lower  ends  are  no  less 
antagonistic.  Avarice  and  prodigality,  pride  and 
jealousy,  envy  and  love  of  ease  assert  themselves 
with  conflicting  insistence  in  the  heart  of  the 
worldly-minded.     And  the  means  by  which  these 


172     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

things  that  seem  so  necessary  are  sought  are  alike 
varied  and  conflicting.  There  is  no  harmony,  no 
united  action,  possible  in  worldly  ends;  and  since 
the  objects  themselves  that  are  deemed  necessary 
to  happiness  or  success  are  continually  changing, 
there  can  be  no  unity  of  purpose  or  consistent  en- 
deavor in  their  indulgence.  They  are  not  one 
thing,  but  many  things,  illusory,  transient,  disap- 
pointing. 

Salvation  is  one  consistent  whole,  though  it  em- 
braces so  many  parts.  In  Christ  Jesus  we  have  the 
blessed  unit  of  spiritual  good.  In  the  Gospel  we 
acquire  one  pearl  of  great  price;  in  a  word,  that 
good  PART. 

Again,  the  religion  of  Jesus  is  that  good  part, 
because  it  emphasizes  the  best  part  of  our  nature. 
Every  good  gift  is  from  above;  but  we  may  repeat 
the  remark  that  some  good  gifts  are  better  than 
others.  When  our  Savior  bids  us  seek  first  the 
kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteousness,  He  points 
us  to  the  higher  things  of  life  and  bids  us  seek  them 
not  only  first  in  the  order  of  time  and  first  in  the 
order  of  desire,  but  first  in  the  order  of  impor- 
tance. 

In  every  other  sphere  but  that  of  religion  men 
readily  recognize  a  difference  in  values.  Lesser 
interests  are  subordinated  to  greater.  Things 
eagerly  sought  after  at  one  time  are  lost  sight  of 
as  more  important  claims  are  recognized.  Here  is 
a  farmer,  busily  engaged  in  gathering  in  his  grain 


THAT  GOOD  PART  173 

from  the  fields  before  the  impending  shower  falls, 
when  he  finds  his  barn  threatened  by  fire.  He 
leaves  the  grain  and  hastens  to  the  barn,  only  to 
find  that  his  house  is  now  in  danger.  But  grain, 
barn  and  house  are  alike  left  to  perish  when  he  dis- 
covers that  he  must  save  a  wife  or  child  from  some 
forgotten  room  of  the  burning  dwelling.  He  is 
willing  that  everything  else  shall  be  lost  that  a 
precious  life  may  be  saved.  So  men  continually 
show  their  estimate  of  comparative  values  in  the 
things  of  this  life.  Religion  does  not  rebuke  this, 
but  points  to  interests  superior  to  them  all  and  bids 
us  covet  earnestly  the  best  gifts.  We  are  not  to 
despise  the  claims  of  the  body  or  of  the  mind;  but 
the  soul  is  worth  infinitely  more  than  either.  He 
only  chooses  that  pre-eminently  good  part  who  is 
rich  toward  God,  because  he  is  wise  unto  salvation. 

The  permanence  of  this  possession  is  no  small 
element  of  its  value.  Other  good  things  are  tempo- 
ral; this  only  is  eternal.  Riches  take  to  them- 
selves wings.  Honors  are  fleeting.  Friendships 
may  be  lost  in  one  short  hour.  Pleasures  are 
short-lived.  Health  is  uncertain.  Life  itself  must 
eventually  fail;  but  that  good  part  shall  never  be 
taken  away  from  any  who  have  truly  possessed  it. 
The  gifts  and  calling  of  God  are  without  re- 
pentance. If  our  names  are  written  in  heaven,  we 
have  a  treasure  there  that  faileth  not  and  that  will 
enrich  us  to  eternity. 

This  good  part  must  be  chosen.     It  will  not  come 


174     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

to  any  soul  that  remains  passive  and  indifferent. 
Mary  found  it  because  she  desired  it  and  esteemed 
it  above  everything  else  and  earnestly  sought  it. 
She  sat  at  Jesus'  feet  and  heard  His  words.  She 
believed  to  the  saving  of  her  soul.  She  opened  her 
heart  to  His  love,  and  she  loved  Him  who  first 
loved  her.  She  took  the  place  He  assigned  her, 
and  was  ready  for  waiting  or  for  service,  as  His 
will  was  revealed  for  her  obedience.  All  these 
were  voluntary  acts;  but  they  were  definite,  de- 
cisive, controlling.  So  must  it  be  with  every  one 
who  obtains  that  good  part. 

Salvation  and  eternal  life  will  never  come  to  you, 
my  reader,  as  a  matter  of  course,  without  your  voli- 
tion and  definite  choice.  You  will  never  wake  up 
some  morning  and  find  that  you  have  drifted  into 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.  You  will  not  find  rest- 
ing on  your  bosom,  by  any  sort  of  spiritual  magic, 
the  pearl  of  great  price.  Salvation  is  free,  and 
the  grace  of  God  is  for  all  who  will  receive  it;  but 
receive  it  you  must,  if  you  would  be  saved.  Who- 
soever will  may  come ;  but  you  must  come  to  Jesus 
Christ,  if  you  would  have  life. 

Whatever  your  attainments  in  possessions  or 
gifts  may  be,  your  life  will  end  in  disaster  without 
the  salvation  of  your  soul.  Whatever  your  disap- 
pointments or  losses  may  be  in  this  world,  happy 
will  be  your  lot  if  you  have  chosen  that  good  part 
which  shall  not  be  taken  away  from  you. 


THAT  GOOD  PART  175 


"  Oh,  that  the  loving  woman,  she  who  sat 
So  long  a  listener  at  her  Master's  feet 
Had  left  us  Mary's  Gospel ; — all  she  heard 
Too  sweet,  too  subtle  for  the  ear  of  man." 


XIII 
THE  CROWNING  SATISFACTION 

WE  have  spoken  of  the  fellowship  of  the 
Father  as  a  supreme  element  in  our 
Savior's  joy.  We  have  not  many 
prayers  of  Jesus  recorded;  but  in  the  seventeenth 
chapter  of  John's  Gospel  we  have  what  has  rightly 
been  called  His  High-Priestly  prayer.  He  prayed 
aloud;  and  evidently  that  He  might  thus  initiate 
His  disciples  into  close  fellowship  with  God,  and, 
as  it  were,  "  lift  them  into  that  divine  sphere  in 
which  He  Himself  dwelt"  (Godet). 

The  most  significant  feature  of  this  prayer  is  its 
note  of  victory.  "  I  have  glorified  Thee  on  the 
earth,"  is  His  cry  to  the  Father,  "  I  have  finished 
the  work  which  Thou  gavest  me  to  do."  It  is  the 
exultant  cry  of  a  runner,  with  his  hand  upon  the 
goal.  The  triumph  of  one  who  was  more  than 
conqueror.  Nor  does  it  detract  from  the  signifi- 
cance of  His  words  that  the  great  consummation, 
His  victory  over  death,  was  yet  to  be  accomplished. 
He  was  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world.  "  I  came  into  the  world,"  He  says,  "  not 
to  do  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  Him  that  sent 
me."  As  the  time  approached  that  He  should  be 
176 


THE  CROWNING  SATISFACTION      177 

received  up,  he  steadfastly  set  His  face  to  go  to 
Jerusalem.  "  I  have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized 
with,"  He  cries,  "  and  how  am  I  straitened  till 
it  be  accomplished."  His  whole  soul  was  bent 
upon  meeting  the  final  crisis,  and  it  was  as  impos- 
sible that  He  should  fail  as  it  is  that  God  should 
lie ;  that  the  promises  that  had  been  multiplying  for 
four  thousand  years  should  fail;  that  the  walls 
of  the  Church  that  had  been  steadily  rising 
throughout  so  many  dispensations  should  crumble 
into  ruins;  and  that  the  Savior's  mission  to  the 
earth  and  His  life-work  upon  it  should  all  be  in 
vain.  In  the  certainty  of  this  final  victory  our 
Lord  speaks  of  it  as  already  won,  and  includes  it  in 
the  account  of  His  stewardship,  as  He  declares 
"  I  have  finished  the  work  Thou  gavest  me  to  do." 
And  by  thus  looking  toward  the  glory  that  lay  be- 
yond the  cross  he  fortified  His  soul  for  the  agonies 
of  death. 

Our  blessed  Lord  glorified  the  Father  upon 
earth,  first,  by  His  holy  life.  The  conception  of 
such  a  character  as  Jesus  of  Nazareth  exhibited 
would  entitle  any  writer  of  fiction  to  imperishable 
fame.  That  such  a  life  should  have  actually  been 
lived  on  this  sin-stricken  earth  is  the  great  miracle 
of  the  ages.  The  life  of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  one 
bright  figure  that  appears  on  the  dark  background 
of  human  depravity.  This  is  the  one  stainless  robe 
worn  by  humanity.  Among  the  jewels  of  the 
King  of  kings  this  is  the  pearl  of  great  price. 


178     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

The  light  of  the  law  shone  on  the  Jews;  Christ 
is  the  life  and  the  light  of  men.  This  one  peerless 
life  mankind  may  study  through  all  the  ages  and 
never  exhaust.  To  reproduce  it  in  forms  more 
impressive  than  those  given  by  the  Gospel  writers 
is  a  hopeless  task.  Who  can  paint  the  opal,  with 
its  lustre  and  flash  and  play  of  colors?  Who  can 
depict  upon  canvas  the  brilliancy  of  the  diamond, 
with  its  many-sided  splendor?  Who  can  set  the 
glory  of  the  sun  before  us  in  such  gorgeous  color- 
ing as  that  in  which  it  lights  up  the  mountains, 
the  sea,  or  the  evening  sky  ?  And  who  but  a  divine 
Artist  could  give  us  a  picture  of  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness,  shedding  His  glory  among  men? 
Yet  here  is  not  fancy  but  sober  history.  This  per- 
fect life  has  been.  His  sinlessness  was  His  glory 
and  the  glory  of  the  Father  who  had  sent  Him. 
"  God  is  best  known  in  Christ ;  the  sun  is  not  seen 
but  by  the  light  of  the  sun."  * 

And  so  it  is  declared,  "  He  was  the  brightness  of 
the  glory  of  the  Father  and  the  express  image  of 
His  person"  (Heb.  i:3).  "He  did  no  sin, 
neither  was  guile  found  in  His  mouth  "  ( i  Pet.  ii : 
22).  His  life  was  a  life  of  holy  obedience.  His 
constant  prayer  was  "  Not  my  will  but  Thine  be 
done."  He  was  Incarnate  Benevolence.  He 
went  about  doing  good.  The  character  of  Jesus 
Christ  stands  alone.  We  find  nothing  in  all  his- 
tory adequately  to  foreshadow  or  anticipate  it; 
*  Bridge,  1600-1670. 


THE  CROWNING  SATISFACTION      179 

nothing  in  all  nature  to  illustrate  it;  no  conception 
of  man's  imagination  to  equal  its  reality.  There 
is  no  stronger  proof  of  the  truth  of  Christianity 
than  this  unique  portrayal  of  the  Gospel  narra- 
tives. That  it  is  only  the  product  of  human 
imagination  is  the  most  incredible  of  all  supposi- 
tions. 

.  .  .  Jesus  Christ  glorified  the  Father  by  His 
reverence.  He  never  for  one  moment  forgot  that 
He  was  sent  from  God.  He  had  placed  Himself 
in  the  hands  of  the  Father  for  a  specific  mission, 
and  the  one  end  of  His  earthly  life  was  to  do  the 
will  of  Him  that  sent  Him.  He  never  dishonored 
God  by  a  single  complaint  at  the  allotments  of 
Providence.  He  never  murmured  at  any  burden 
He  was  called  to  bear,  nor  at  any  service  that  He 
was  called  to  render.  He  never  spoke  of  God 
save  in  the  terms  of  the  deepest  devotion.  He 
honored  the  divine  name  among  men  as  no  other 
man  that  ever  lived  honored  it.  His  faith  in  God 
was  supreme;  and  though  there  were  some  things 
hidden  from  Him,  as  the  Son,  He  believed  un- 
swervingly in  the  wisdom  of  those  appointments 
the  Father  had  put  in  His  own  power. 

There  is  perhaps  no  lesson  that  the  people  of 
God  need  more  to  learn  than  this  of  reverence  for 
the  Divine  Name.  It  is  amazing  to  consider  how 
God  and  His  ways  are  often  spoken  of  by  His  pro- 
fessed followers,  as  if  it  were  continually  an  open 
question    whether    God    is    wise    and    good    and 


180      THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

whether  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  will  do  right. 
In  these  days  of  speculation  and  conflicting  opinion 
the  very  foundations  of  religion  are  being  con- 
tinually assailed.  Men  not  only  doubt  concerning 
the  deeper  mysteries  of  our  faith,  but  they  doubt 
even  the  inspiration  of  the  Scriptures  and  the  being 
of  God.  Doubt  will  never  die  out  of  the  world 
until  sin  dies  out  of  it.  Faith  will  never  be  found 
where  there  is  not  spiritual  life.  But,  however 
the  great  verities  of  the  Christian  faith  are  called 
in  question  by  an  unbelieving  world,  that  knows 
nothing  of  the  power  of  Christ  in  the  heart,  it  is 
amazing  that  one  who  has  experienced  the  forgive- 
ness of  sins,  who  has  felt  the  power  of  the  divine 
life  within,  who  knows  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the 
Divine  Son  of  God,  because  the  love  of  God  has 
been  shed  abroad  in  His  heart  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
should  ever  be  found  virtually  arraigning  the  plans 
of  Providence  or  calling  in  question  the  divine 
honor. 

Jesus  Christ  never  argued  about  the  truths  of 
religion.  He  revealed  them,  affirmed  them,  em- 
phasized them,  appealing  only  to  His  works  as  bear- 
ing witness  that  He  spake  in  God's  name.  But  in 
all  His  mention  of  the  Father  He  maintained  that 
holy  reverence  which  lies  at  the  basis  of  all  true 
piety.  The  prayer  of  His  whole  lifetime  found  ex- 
pression at  the  end  of  His  course,  "  Father,  glorify 
Thy  name  "  (John  xii :  28).  "  I  have  manifested 
Thy  name  unto  the  men  which  Thou  gavest  me  out 


THE  CROWNING  SATISFACTION        181 

of  the  world."    "  I  have  declared  unto  them  Thy 
name  and  will  declare  it  "  (John  xvii :  6—26). 

But,  more  than  this,  Jesus  glorified  God  on  the 
earth  by  His  revelations  of  divine  truth.  He  was 
the  Light  of  the  world.  He  was  the  Way,  the 
Truth,  and  the  Life.  He  brought  life  and  immor- 
tality to  light  through  the  Gospel.  He  was  'the 
divine  Word,  the  only  possible  expression  of  the 
Deity  that  men  could  understand.  Never  man 
spake  like  this  man;  for  never  had  man  such  lofty 
truths  to  utter,  or  could  express  them  in  such  simple 
yet  significant  and  sublime  language.  He  was,  be- 
yond all  comparison,  the  great  teacher.  Well 
might  His  hearers,  who  yet  so  imperfectly  under- 
stood them,  marvel  at  the  gracious  words  that  pro- 
ceeded out  of  His  mouth.  The  world  has  been 
marvelling  at  them  ever  since.  Whole  libraries 
have  been  written  upon  them,  yet  their  fullness  is  as 
inexhaustible  as  ever.  God  had  been  communicat- 
ing His  word  to  men  through  all  the  ages  past. 
Moses  and  the  prophets  had  spoken;  and  the 
volume  of  Revelation  was  already  ample;  but,  in 
comparison  with  the  fuller  teachings  of  Jesus,  all 
that  had  been  given  to  men  before  His  advent  was 
as  the  morning  twilight  to  the  rising  sun.  Not 
only  did  He  reaffirm,  emphasize,  and  set  in  clearer 
light  truths  concerning  God  that  had  been  already 
revealed,  but  He  set  before  the  astonished  gaze  of 
men  "  things  that  had  been  kept  secret  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world"   (Matt.   13:25).      He 


182     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

was  the  most  original  of  all  teachers  for  He  first 
proclaimed  in  their  fullness  many  important  truths 
among  which  we  may  enumerate  the  purpose  of 
God  in  redemption,  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
the  spirituality  of  the  Church,  immortality,  resur- 
rection and  the  final  judgment.  But  God  was  no 
less  glorified  by  the  gracious  words  of  the  Savior 
that  made  known  so  clearly  to  men  the  love  of  the 
Father.  What  could  better  glorify  the  divine 
name  than  such  declarations  as  these;  "  For  God  so 
loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten 
Son  that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should  not 
perish,  but  have  everlasting  life.  For  God  sent  not 
His  Son  into  the  world  to  condemn  the  world;  but 
that  the  world  through  Him  might  be  saved  " 
(John  iii :  16,  17).  "  God  is  a  Spirit,  and  they  that 
worship  Him  must  worship  Him  in  spirit  and  in 
truth  .  .  .  The  Father  seeketh  such  to  worship 
Him"  (John  iv:24,  23).  "All  that  the  Father 
giveth  me  shall  come  to  me,  and  him  that  cometh 
to  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out  "  (John  vi:  37). 
And  in  all  these  marvellous  words  He  glorified  the 
Father  by  constantly  affirming,  "  My  doctrine  is 
not  mine  but  His  that  sent  me"  (John  vii :  14). 
In  His  sacerdotal  prayer  He  says  to  the  Father,  "  I 
have  given  them  Thy  word  "  (John  xvii :  14). 

Beyond  all  this,  Jesus  glorified  the  Father  by  His 
wonderful  works.  Miracles  had  been  wrought  by 
the  Old  Testament  prophets;  but  the  miracles  of 
Christ  were  greater  wonders  than  had  ever  been 


THE  CROWNING  SATISFACTION       183 

seen  on  earth,  were  wrought  in  greater  profusion 
than  those  of  all  the  prophets  together,  were  accom- 
plished in  the  name  of  Christ  Himself  as  the  sent  of 
God,  and  were  miracles  of  mercy,  designed  to  call 
the  attention  of  the  world  to  Him  who  had  taken 
upon  Himself  the  infirmities  of  sinners,  that  so 
taking  He  might  heal  them.  What  wonder  that 
when  the  paralytic  was  healed  and  forgiven,  "  the 
multitude  marvelled  and  glorified  God  who  had 
given  such  power  unto  men"  (Matt.  ix:i8). 
What  wonder  that  when  Bartimeus  received  His 
sight  "  all  the  people  when  they  saw  it  gave  praise 
unto  God  "  (Luke  xviii :  43).  What  wonder  that 
after  a  day  of  multiplied  mercy  "  the  multitudes 
wondered  when  they  saw  the  dumb  to  speak,  the 
maimed  to  be  whole,  the  lame  to  walk  and  the  blind 
to  see ;  and  they  glorified  the  God  of  Israel  "  (Matt. 
xv :  31).  What  wonder  that  the  disciples,  as  they 
drew  near  the  holy  city,  at  the  time  of  Christ's 
triumphal  entry,  began  to  praise  God  with  a  loud 
voice  for  all  the  mighty  work  that  they  had  seen; 
that  children's  hosannahs  were  heard  in  the  temple, 
or  that  our  Lord  should  say,  in  exultation,  of  the 
divine  glory,  "  I  tell  you  if  these  should  hold  their 
peace,  the  stones  would  immediately  cry  out ! " 
(Luke  xix :  4). 

Yet  what  were  all  wonders  wrought  by  Christ 
compared  with  the  miracles  of  resurrection;  when 
He  stood  by  the  grave  of  His  dead  friend  and  said, 
"  Lazarus,  come  forth ! "  when  he  took  the  sleep- 


184     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

ing  maid  by  the  hand  and  said,  "  I  say  unto  thee, 
arise !  "  when  he  stopped  the  mournful  procession 
at  the  gate  of  Nain,  and  delivered  again  to  his 
mother  the  son  mourned  as  dead;  and  surpassing 
all  else,  when  He  demonstrated  by  His  own  rising 
from  the  dead  the  truth  of  those  sublime  words, 
"  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life !  " 
But  most  of  all  was  God  glorified  by  our  ador- 
able Redeemer  in  the  great  work  of  salvation. 
This  is  the  one  stupendous  wonder  of  the  universe, 
the  one  great  mystery  into  whose  depths  angels  de- 
sire to  look,  the  one  achievement  that  stretches  into 
eternity  with  its  far  reaching  effects. 

It  would  be  aside  from  our  purpose  to  dwell 
upon  the  fact  that  redemption  took  place  upon  so 
insignificant  a  place  apparently  as  our  little  earth 
among  the  splendid  worlds  that  are  under  the  gov- 
ernment of  God;  yet  this  fact  must  forever  center 
the  eyes  of  all  intelligent  beings  upon  this  favored 
planet  as  the  theater  for  the  most  stupendous  ex- 
hibitions of  divine  power  and  the  most  amazing 
displays  of  divine  grace  that  eternity  can  ever  pro- 
duce. These  three  little  words  localizing  His  work 
deserve  special  emphasis,  "  I  have  glorified  Thee 
on  the  earth."  So  far  as  we  know,  this  is  the 
only  world  where  ever  has  been  proclaimed  the 
forgiveness  of  sins.  The  only  world  where  the 
ruin  of  sin  has  been  met  and  the  holy  law  of  God 
vindicated  in  mercy.  And  in  this  world,  where 
God  had  been  avowedly  dethroned  by  the  rebellion 


THE  CROWNING  SATISFACTION        185 

of  the  being  appointed  to  rule  as  lord  under  Him, 
Jesus  Christ  glorified  God  by  setting  up  His  ever- 
lasting kingdom,  the  glory  of  which  is  love. 

It  greatly  adds  to  the  wonders  of  redemption 
that  it  was  accomplished  amid  such  exhibitions  of 
moral  corruption  as  even  this  sin-cursed  world  had 
never  before  seen. 

What  a  picture  do  the  Evangelists  present  to  us 
as  they  hold  up  before  us,  in  their  artless  and  unaf- 
fected narratives,  the  blind  rage  of  the  Pharisees, 
the  mocking  scorn  of  the  Sadducees,  the  brutal 
cruelty  of  the  Romans,  the  ignorant  frenzy  of  the 
multitudes;  and  amid  it  all  the  divine  Sufferer, 
majestic  in  His  meekness,  unruffled,  unmoved,  un- 
daunted, unreviling,  pouring  out  His  soul  unto 
death,  a  voluntary  victim,  against  whom,  but  for 
His  own  purpose  to  save,  His  guilty  murderers 
could  have  had  no  power  at  all ! 

What  a  spectacle!  The  Son  of  God,  expiring 
amid  mockery  and  shame  that  He  might  give  life 
to  the  very  men  who  had  become  His  betrayers  and 
murderers!  Praying  in  the  midst  of  His  dying 
agonies  for  His  unrelenting  persecutors;  snatch- 
ing from  the  very  jaws  of  destruction  one  of  the 
guiltiest  of  the  race,  that  He  might  have  in  the 
hour  of  His  death  a  signal  trophy  of  redeeming 
grace,  and  in  the  forgiveness  of  the  penitent  thief 
proclaim  salvation  to  the  chief  of  sinners! 

Thus,  as  has  been  truthfully  affirmed,  "  It  was  at 
the  very  place  where  man  was  most  dishonoring 


186     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

God  that  His  representative  was  honoring  Him. 
Where  man  was  exhibiting  the  most  appalling 
wickedness,  there  His  mercy  was  giving  the  most 
signal  displays  of  goodness.  Where  man,  break- 
ing loose  from  all  restraint,  was  abandoning  him- 
self to  open  rebellion,  there  his  substitute  was  be- 
coming obedient  even  unto  death.  Where  the 
wildest  passions  that  ever  stirred  the  human  heart 
were  raging  uncontrolled,  there  One,  in  our  own 
name  and  nature,  was  giving  the  most  loving  dis- 
play of  a  tenderness  that  could  not  be  ruffled  and  a 
love  that  could  not  be  quenched.  Where  sin 
abounded  there  righteousness  did  much  more 
abound.  The  representative  is  lifted  high  upon 
the  cross  that  He  might  become  a  spectacle ;  and  in 
the  view  of  all  men,  in  the  view  of  wondering 
angels,  in  the  view  of  God,  glorify  God,  wherein 
He  had  been  most  dishonored."  * 

Nor  is  the  glory  of  God  in  redemption  confined 
to  the  transactions  of  Calvary.  The  whole  his- 
tory of  the  Church  is  a  manifestation  of  the  divine 
glory,  established  in  the  earth  by  the  life  and 
death  of  Christ.  The  triumphs  of  the  Cross  have 
been  wonderful,  and  the  design  of  the  Redeemer  is 
that  unto  God  shall  be  "  glory  in  the  Church  by 
Christ  Jesus  throughout  all  ages  "  (Eph.  iii :  21). 

No  creature  can  glorify  God  as  Jesus  has  glori- 
fied Him  upon  the  earth;  yet  God  will  be  con- 
tinually glorified  as  Christ  is  glorified  by  His  peo- 
*  McCosh,  "  Divine  Government,"  p.  474. 


THE  CROWNING  SATISFACTION        187 

pie.  Every  soul  for  whom  Christ  died  may  glorify 
God  by  forsaking  sin  for  the  service  of  Christ,  by 
believing  in  the  Son  of  God  and  by  open  con- 
fession of  His  name.  Every  believer  may  glorify 
God  by  being  transformed  in  character  by  the  re- 
newing of  the  Holy  Ghost  ..."  and  we  all, 
with  unveiled  face,  beholding  as  in  a  glass  the  glory 
of  the  Lord,  are  changed  into  the  same  image,  from 
glory  to  glory  even  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  " 
(2  Cor.  iii :  18).  Yet  only  in  the  new  heavens  and 
the  new  earth,  where  all  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord 
shall  be  gathered  and  the  Church  shall  appear  be- 
fore God,  "  not  having  spot  or  wrinkle  or  any 
such  thing,"  will  the  full  significance  of  the 
Savior's  words  be  known,  "  I  have  glorified  Thee 
on  the  earth;  I  have  finished  the  work  which  thou 
gavest  me  to  do." 


HALLOWED  BE  THY  NAME 

O  holy  prayer !  too  deep,  too  pure 

For  lips  unsanctified ; 
O  full  petition !  all  too  broad 

For  man's  self-righteous  pride; 
Too  high,  too  near  the  throne  of  God 

For  earth-born  men  to  reach; 
Thou  God  alone,  our  sinful  lips 

Its  utterance  can  teach ! 

Our  graceless  prayer  falls  drearily 

Upon  the  sterile  ground  ; 
And  listless  hang  our  empty  hands 

By  unseen  fetters  bound; 


X88     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

Our  lifeless  souls  can  never  rise 

Above  the  mists  of  earth, — 
Faith  folds  her  wings — love  languishes 

Forgetful  of  her  birth! 

Great  Spirit!  change  these  rebel  hearts, 

Wash  out  each  crimson  stain ; 
Purge  them  with  hyssop,  Lord,  that  so 

They  may  be  white  again. 
O  deign  these  stammering,  untaught  lips 

To  sanctify  anew, 
Teach  thou  our  chastened  hearts,  dear  Lord, 

To  suffer  and  to  do. 

O  teach  us  in  th'  Eternal  Ear, 

With  penitential  love, 
To  breathe  the  One  prevailing  Name, 

All  other  names  above ; 
Like  precious  ointment  poured  forth 

That  Name  shall  calm  the  breast, — 
So  rich,  so  full  to  satisfy 

The  soul  that  longs  for  rest ! 

O  sacred,  thrice  exalted  Name, 

We  worship  and  adore ; 
Help  us  in  spirit  and  in  truth 

To  praise  thee  evermore; 
O  holy,  holy,  holy  Lord, 

Thy  love  we  will  proclaim, 
Till  earth  and  heaven  shall  join  to  say 

All  hallowed  be  thy  Name! 

Myra. 


XIV 
HEARTS  AFLAME 

OUR  Lord  was  crucified  on  Friday.  The 
next  day  was  the  Jewish  Sabbath,  and 
the  disciples  rested  according  to  the  com- 
mandment. Yet  what  a  sad  and  peculiar  Sabbath 
it  was  to  the  infant  Church!  And  how  strangely 
joyless  was  the  dawning  of  the  first  Lord's  Day! 

Never  had  the  hearts  of  the  disciples  been  filled 
with  deeper  despondency  than  on  the  morning  of 
the  resurrection. 

Their  Rulers  had  triumphed.  The  cause  they 
loved  had  suffered  defeat.  Their  beloved  Master 
had  been  put  to  a  cruel  and  shameful  death. 
They  had  themselves  borne  Him  to  Joseph's  tomb, 
and  in  that  rocky  sepulchre  they  buried  with  Him 
their  Messianic  hopes,  and  could  only  say,  "  We 
trusted  that  it  had  been  He  which  should  have  re- 
deemed Israel!"  (Luke  xxiv:2i). 

Yet,  as  the  hours  of  this  eventful  morning  wore 
away  their  hearts  were  strangely  agitated  with  new 
fears  and  hopes.  The  sepulchre  had  been  early 
visited  by  the  women  who  intended  to  embalm  the 
Savior's  body.  They  returned  with  minds  stirred 
and  excited  to  report  that  the  tomb  was  empty,  and 

189 


190     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

that  they  had  seen  a  vision  of  angels  who  told  them 
that  Jesus  was  risen  from  the  dead. 

The  story  was  so  far  confirmed  by  others  that 
it  was  soon  known  that  the  body  was  not  in  the 
sepulchre;  but  the  further  testimony  of  the  women 
seemed  to  the  disciples  as  idle  tales,  and  they  be- 
lieved it  not. 

Yet  while  none  perhaps  believed  in  our  Lord's 
resurrection  save  those  to  whom  he  had  thus  far 
personally  appeared,  it  was  impossible  that  such 
things  should  be  reported  without  strongly  affect- 
ing all  their  minds.  Conflicting  emotions  of  sur- 
prise, hope,  fear,  doubt,  and  vague  expectation  took 
possession  of  them,  so  that  they  could  talk  of  little 
else  than  the  wonderful  things  that  had  hap- 
pened. 

It  was  on  the  afternoon  of  this  eventful  day  that 
two  of  the  disciples  started  for  Emmaus,  a  village 
seven  and  one-half  miles  from  Jerusalem,  where 
one  of  them  probably  resided. 

The  road  leading  out  of  the  City  passed  by 
Calvary,  and  perhaps  they  could  see  still  standing 
that  fatal  cross  where  so  lately  their  Lord  had 
hung.  What  wonder  that  as  they  walked  they 
were  sad?  What  wonder  that  one  theme  above 
every  other  absorbed  their  thoughts  "  as  they  com- 
muned together  and  reasoned?" 

And  now  as  they  talk  a  stranger  joins  them. 
Perhaps  their  first  feeling  is  one  of  disappointment, 
but  they  soon  find  that  the  conversation  need  not 


HEARTS  AFLAME  191 

be  diverted  from  the  channel  it  had  been  pursuing. 

There  is  something  winning  in  the  new-comer's 
address  and  he  seems  to  enter  with  heartfelt  sym- 
pathy into  their  grief.  Yet  they  confess  their 
surprise  that  any  one  should  be  long  in  Jerusalem 
and  be  at  a  loss  to  understand  what  would  naturally 
be  the  subject  of  conversation  between  Israelites 
at  such  a  time.  The  Unknown  draws  from  them 
the  story  of  the  wonder-working  Prophet  of  Naza- 
reth. They  speak  of  His  teachings  and  of  His 
miracles;  of  the  good  He  accomplished  among 
the  people;  of  the  hopes  of  deliverance  He  in- 
spired— of  the  rising  jealousy  of  the  high  priests; 
of  the  apprehension — the  crucifixion — the  burial; 
and  end  with  the  strange  story  of  the  women 
who  visited  the  empty  tomb,  which  evidently  they 
do  not  credit,  for  their  last  words  are  in  mournful 
cadence,  "  but  Him  they  saw  not." 

And  now  their  sympathetic  hearer  becomes  their 
Instructor.  Their  implied  rebuke  of  His  ignorance 
of  the  great  events  of  the  passover  week  is  turned 
upon  them  with  pointed  effect,  "  Oh,  fools  and  slow 
of  heart  to  believe  all  that  the  prophets  have 
spoken ;  ought  not  Christ  to  have  suffered  these 
things  and  to  enter  into  His  glory  "  (Luke  xxiv: 
26). 

Yet  "  faithful  are  the  wounds  of  a  friend " 
and  the  Stranger's  rebuke  wins  instead  of  repelling 
these  disciples,  as  He  takes  up  the  writings  of  the 
Old  Testament,  with  which  they  are  thoroughly 


192     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

familiar,  and  explains  them  as  they  have  never 
heard  them  explained  before. 

We  know  the  sequel,  and  cannot  maintain  the 
disguise  if  we  would.  It  is  Jesus  who  talks  with 
them;  but  as  yet  they  know  Him  not. 

What  wonder  must  have  seized  their  minds  as 
they  heard  so  entrancing  a  discourse  from  a  Pass- 
over pilgrim.  We  can  almost  hear  them  exclaim 
"What  learned  Rabbi  is  this?  What  gracious 
words  proceed  out  of  His  mouth !  What  clearness 
of  statement!  What  cogency  of  reasoning! 
What  new  views  of  the  prophecies !  What  absorb- 
ing interest  does  this  stranger  himself  take  in  the 
Messiah !  " 

Let  us  also  draw  near  and  attend. — Jesus  the 
Christ  expounding  in  all  the  Scriptures  the  things 
concerning  Himself — What  a  teacher  and  what  a 
theme ! 

Let  us  consider  first  the  discourse  itself,  and  sec- 
ondly its  effects  upon  the  two  disciples. 

The  Evangelist  has  not  indeed  recorded  for  us 
this  remarkable  exposition  of  the  Scriptures,  by  the 
greatest  of  all  the  prophets,  but  the  brief  outline 
Luke  gives  us  suggests  an  orderly  method  begin- 
ning with  the  first  promise  given  in  Eden  of  the 
coming  Deliverer  and  following  the  track  of 
prophecy  growing  broader  and  more  distinct  until 
Malachi,  the  last  of  the  Old  Testament  prophets, 
points  to  John  whose  mission  was  to  proclaim, 
"  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God." 


HEARTS  AFLAME  193 

He  doubtless  unfolded  to  them  the  meaning  of 
that  mysterious  promise,  that  is  the  germ  of  all 
subsequent  prophecy,  that  the  seed  of  the  woman 
should  bruise  the  serpent's  head. 

He  explained  to  them  the  significance  of  that 
strange  scene  upon  Mount  Moriah  where  Isaac 
was  spared  and  a  ram  provided  for  sacrifice.  He 
declared  the  meaning  of  the  Passover  and  the 
sprinkling  with  blood.  He  recalled  the  history  of 
the  fiery  serpents  in  the  camp  of  Israel,  and  the 
method  of  recovery  divinely  ordained,  and  caused 
them  to  remember  the  saying  of  their  now  crucified 
Lord  "  As  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the 
wilderness,  even  so  must  the  Son  of  man  be  lifted 
up."  He  spoke  of  the  manna  given  to  Israel,  until 
they  saw  new  meaning  in  their  Master's  words  "  I 
am  the  living  bread  which  came  down  from 
heaven." 

He  discoursed  of  the  smitten  rock;  and  they  re- 
membered how  Christ  said,  "If  any  man  thirst  let 
him  come  unto  me  and  drink."  But  especially  He 
gave  interpretation  to  every  type  and  ceremony  that 
regarded  Messiah's  death.  He  gave  light  to  the 
darkest  parts  of  the  Law,  order  to  the  most  con- 
fused and  significance  to  the  most  unmeaning. 

He  told  them  that  the  tabernacle  was  but  a 
shadow ;  that  the  solemn  day  of  atonement,  the  en- 
tering in  of  the  High  Priest,  the  sacrifices  made 
year  by  year  continually  were  not  the  very  image  of 
the  things.    Not  a  lamb,  nor  a  kid,  nor  a  dove,  but 


194     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

was  a  type  of  Christ.  The  solemn  laying  on  of 
hands,  the  gushing  blood,  the  smoking  altar,  the 
fragrant  incense,  all  had  their  significance  and 
pointed  to  the  Messiah.  And  in  all  the  Scriptures 
Christ  was  predicted  as  one  who  should  be  rejected, 
and  suffer  and  die. 

He  was,  indeed,  foretold  as  a  blessing.  Jacob 
named  Him  "  Shiloh,"  and  Balaam  a  "  Star,"  and 
Isaiah  "  the  Mighty  God  "  and  "  the  Great  Shep- 
herd "  of  Israel.  But  it  was  through  His  suffer- 
ings He  was  to  enter  into  His  glory  and  redeem 
His  people. 

"  Do  you  not  see,"  this  wonderful  interpreter 
must  have  said,  "  how  remarkably  the  prophecies 
seem  to  be  fulfilled  in  just  such  sufferings  as  you 
declare  your  Jesus  has  undergone  ?  Did  not  David 
say  that  His  own  familiar  friend  should  betray 
Him ;  that  His  enemies  should  mock  Him ;  that  they 
should  shoot  out  the  lip  and  shake  the  head  at 
Him;  that  the  wicked  should  encompass  Him  and 
vex  Him;  that  they  should  give  Him  vinegar  and 
gall  to  drink;  and  that  they  should  pierce  His 
hands  and  His  feet;  should  part  His  garments 
among  them  and  cast  lots  upon  His  vesture ;  should 
bring  Him  into  the  dust  of  death,  and  yet  His  soul 
should  not  be  left  in  the  grave,  nor  His  flesh  see 
corruption? 

"  What  but  a  suffering  Christ  did  Isaiah  describe 
when  he  said  He  should  give  His  back  to  the 
smiters  and  His  cheeks  to  them  that  plucked  off  the 


HEARTS  AFLAME  195 

hair,  and  should  hide  not  His  face  from  shame 
and  spitting?  Did  not  Isaiah  expressly  say  that 
Christ  should  be  despised  and  rejected,  that  He 
should  bear  our  griefs,  that  He  should  be  led  as  a 
lamb  to  the  slaughter?  Was  He  not  to  be  num- 
bered with  the  transgressors— to  bear  the  sin  of 
many,  to  make  intercession  for  the  transgressors — 
to  make  His  soul  a  sin-offering — to  die  with  the 
wicked  yet  to  make  His  grave  with  the  rich? 

"  Did  not  Daniel  say  that  Messiah  should  be  cut 
off,  but  not  for  Himself?  And  Zechariah  that  He 
should  be  sold  for  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  the  pur- 
chase money  of  the  potter's  field?  And  again 
that  men  should  look  upon  Him  whom  they  had 
pierced  ?  And  indeed  apart  from  these  Old  Testa- 
ment prophecies,  were  not  the  hills  and  valleys  of 
Judea  still  ringing  with  the  prophetic  voice  of  one 
crying  in  the  wilderness,  '  Behold  the  Lamb  of 
God,  the  sacrifice  for  the  world's  sin ! '  Oh, 
fools  and  slow  of  heart  to  believe  all  that  the 
prophets  have  spoken — ought  not  Christ  to  have 
suffered  these  things  and  to  enter  into  His 
glory?" 

The  way  to  Emmaus  was  long;  but  it  had  never 
seemed  so  short  before.  For  two  hours  this  en- 
trancing exposition  may  have  proceeded,  and  yet  it 
has  seemed  all  too  brief  to  these  willing  hearers. 
What  an  inestimable  treasure  is  the  word  of  God 
hidden  in  the  heart !  Had  these  disciples  been  en- 
tirely   unacquainted    with    the    teachings    of    the 


196     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

prophets,  their  hearts  would  not  have  been  set  on 
fire  that  day  as  this  unknown  Teacher  expounded 
unto  them  the  Scriptures. 

But  now  these  wonderful  words  have  awakened 
strange  emotions  within  them,  and  they  cannot  let 
the  stranger  go.  Jesus  deals  with  them  "  as  He 
had  done  with  the  two  blind  beggars ;  with  the  dis- 
ciples in  the  storm;  with  the  Syrophoenician 
woman."  *  He  draws  out  the  strength  of  desire 
and  affection  and  then  yields  to  the  urgency  He  has 
Himself  excited. 

He  appeared  ready  to  pass  on,  but  they  con- 
strained Him,  saying  "  Abide  with  us,  for  it  is  to- 
ward evening  and  the  day  is  far  spent — and  He 
went  in  to  tarry  with  them." 

Perhaps  continuing  His  discourse  He  now  uses 
words  they  have  heard  before  from  His  own  lips. 
He  takes  bread  as  they  have  heard  before  from 
the  apostles  Jesus  took  it  at  that  last  Passover 
feast,  He  breaks  it  as  Jesus  then  did,  while  tone, 
countenance  and  manner  all  are  changed.  The 
veil  has  dropped — the  scales  have  fallen  from  their 
eyes — the  Savior  has  started  from  disguise.  They 
know  Him  now,  yes,  Jesus,  to  whom  their  hearts 
were  never  so  knit  before!  But  e'er  they  can  em- 
brace Him,  He  has  vanished  from  sight!  What 
wonder  they  say  one  to  another  "  Did  not  our 
heart  burn  within  us,  while  He  talked  with  us  by 
the  way  and  while  He  opened  to  us  the  Scriptures." 

*  Hanna. 


HEARTS  AFLAME  197 

How  were  the  minds  of  these  disciples  affected 
by  the  Savior's  words? 

(i)  Their  hearts  burned  with  surprise  and  ad- 
miration. 

They  were  surprised  at  the  stranger.  Such 
knowledge  of  the  Scriptures,  such  skill  in  interpre- 
tation, such  success  in  making  what  had  been  ob- 
scure clear  to  their  vision  might  well  awaken  their 
wonder  and  fill  them  with  admiration  of  the  great 
plan  of  salvation  itself. 

They  were  surprised  at  the  new  views  of  revela- 
tion they  now  grasped.  How  wonderful  God's 
ways!  How  different  from  all  their  former 
thoughts  of  a  Messianic  Kingdom!  Yet  how 
honoring  to  God  that  even  in  Salvation  divine 
justice  may  not  give  way,  and  divine  love  stops  not 
at  the  most  costly  sacrifice !  With  hearts  stirred 
by  these  new  truths,  they  were  kindled  with  eager 
longing  to  know  more.  Yet  burning  with  desire 
for  further  instruction  they  must  have  had  some- 
thing of  Paul's  awe-struck  admiration  of  the  great 
mysteries  of  redemption  and  have  said  within  their 
hearts  "Oh,  the  depths!" 

(2)  Their  hearts  burned  with  shame  at  their 
own  ignorance  and  unbelief. 

Many  of  these  things  the  stranger  told  them 
they  now  remembered  to  have  heard  before.  Did 
not  Jesus  Himself  tell  them  the  Son  of  man  must 
be  lifted  up?  Had  He  not  plainly  declared  "  I  lay 
down  my  life  that  I  may  take  it  again?"     Nay, 


198     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

had  He  not  even  predicted  His  resurrection  on  the 
third  day?  Why  were  their  minds  so  dull,  why 
were  they  so  slow  of  heart  to  believe  all  that  the 
prophets  had  spoken  ? 

(3)  Their  hearts  burned  with  the  kindling  joy 
of  a  new  hope. 

Never  had  they  known  such  sadness  as  when 
they  left  Jerusalem.  And,  as  we  have  said,  the 
sight  of  Calvary  must  have  revived  their  sorrow. 
There  Jesus  had  died.  There  with  their  own  eyes 
they  had  seen  Him  hanging  in  mortal  agony. 
They  had  heard  the  bitter  taunts  of  His  enemies, 
as  they  bade  Him  come  down  from  the  cross. 
Yet  He  seemed  helpless  in  the  hands  of  wicked 
men.  They  had  heard  His  expiring  cry.  They 
had  helped  to  take  Him  down  and  knew  that  His 
form  was  lifeless  and  cold.  They  had  seen  Him 
laid  in  the  tomb — and  this  was  the  third 
day  since  these  things  were  done.  Their  Lord 
was  gone  from  them  forever.  Hope  there  was 
none. 

But  as  the  stranger  opened  the  Scriptures,  and 
spoke  of  a  suffering  Messiah,  how  their  minds  must 
have  been  stirred  with  conflicting  emotions  of  fear 
and  hope.  Could  it  be  after  all  that  the  very  things 
that  had  plunged  them  in  despair  were  the  strongest 
proofs  of  the  Messiahship  of  Jesus? 

Yet  how  remarkably  prophecy  and  history 
agreed  as  they  were  placed  side  by  side!  Clearly 
the  death  of  Jesus  fulfilled  all  the  conditions  of 


HEARTS  AFLAME  190 

prophecies  that  were  extended  over  more  than  3000 


years 


Was  it  too  much  to  believe  that  there  was  more 
in  the  story  of  the  empty  tomb  and  the  vision  of 
angels  seen  by  the  women  that  very  morning  than 
they  had  been  disposed  to  credit  ?  What  if  it  was 
all  right  after  all,  and  Jesus  was  risen  as  He  said  ? 
What  wonder  their  hearts  burned  within  them  at 
the  very  thought ! 

(4)  Their  hearts  burned  with  gratitude  toward 
the  stranger.  He  had  given  them  new  views  of 
truth.  He  had  showed  them  the  warmest  sym- 
pathy in  their  deepest  sorrow.  He  had  manifested 
a  rare  power  of  discernment  and  skill  in  probing 
and  healing  the  wounds  of  their  spirit,  and  they 
were  drawn  toward  Him  with  love  and  confidence. 
How  could  they  let  Him  go,  who  had  given  them 
the  only  comfort  their  stricken  hearts  had  known 
since  their  Lord  was  taken  away  ?  It  was  not  con- 
ventional courtesy — nor  merely  consideration  for 
Him,  that  drew  from  their  yearning  bosoms  the 
earnest  invitation — "  Abide  with  us !  " 

(5)  Their  hearts  burned  with  eager  desire  to 
tell  others  of  their  new  hopes.  The  convictions 
that  had  been  growing  within  them  as  Jesus  talked 
with  them  by  the  way  became  certainty  as  He  was 
made  known  to  them  in  the  breaking  of  bread ;  and 
assuredly  the  inward  flame  was  not  quenched  by 
this  welcome  revelation. 

Tidings  such  as  they  could  now  bring  to  the 


200     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

other  disciples  might  not  be  withheld  until  morn- 
ing. Darkness  was  already  gathering  over  the 
earth,  and  they  had  walked  a  long  distance  that 
afternoon,  but  with  what  eagerness  do  they  now 
retrace  their  footsteps !  With  what  different  emo- 
tions do  they  hasten  back  to  Jerusalem  from  those 
that  possessed  them  as  they  left  the  Holy 
City !  "  And  they  rose  up  the  same  hour  and  re- 
turned to  Jerusalem,"  surely  with  winged  feet, 
"  and  found  the  eleven  gathered  together  and  them 
that  were  with  them  " — and  best  of  all  they  found 
their  hearts  also  burning  with  new  hope ;  for  they 
were  saying  "  The  Lord  is  risen  indeed  and  hath 
appeared  to  Simon."  "  And  they  told  what  things 
were  done  in  the  way,  and  how  He  was  known  to 
them  in  the  breaking  of  bread." 

Oh,  joyful  meeting!  Oh,  wonderful  tidings! 
Oh,  eventful  day!  Hearts  that  had  burned  alone 
all  too  long,  consumed  with  inward  musing,  now 
leaped  together  into  flame.  Who  can  doubt  that 
that  saying  which  afterward  became  so  dear  to  the 
early  Christians  was  repeated  again  and  again — 
"  The  Lord  is  risen  indeed !  "  tho'  the  tidings 
seemed  "  too  good  to  be  true  "  and  none  could  be- 
lieve or  realize  them  at  once  as  they  desired  to  do 
(Mark  xvi :  13). 

And  now,  to  the  little  assembly  thus  prepared  for 
His  presence,  Christ  is  revealed !  We  need  not 
wonder  that  fear  mingled  with  their  joy;  but  their 
fears  were  soon  quelled.     No  other  form  could 


HEARTS  AFLAME  201 

yield  such  proofs,  in  pierced  hands  and  feet  and 
gaping  side,  that  the  Crucified  stood  before  them. 
No  other  voice  could  speak  with  such  loving  au- 
thority allaying  the  rising  billows  of  fright  as  He 
had  stilled  the  tempest  upon  Galilee,  saying  "  Peace 
be  unto  you !  " 

"  Then  were  the  disciples  glad  when  they  saw  the 
Lord !  "  "  Then  opened  He  their  understanding 
that  they  might  understand  the  Scriptures  "  (Luke 
xxiv :  45 ) . 

And  what  shall  we  say  of  the  rapture  that  filled 
the  Savior's  heart,  as  He  stood  triumphant  in 
the  midst  of  this  wondering  band  of  disciples? 
Surely  among  the  most  joyful  hours  of  Jesus  we 
may  name  this  interview  and  His  conversation  with 
the  disciples  on  the  way  to  Emmaus. 

Christian  brethren,  have  not  our  hearts  burned 
within  us  many  times,  as  taught  by  the  blessed 
Spirit  Christ  has  promised,  we  have  been  instructed 
in  the  way  as  He  has  opened  to  us  the  Scriptures? 
Have  not  we  too  tested  and  proved  the  value  of 
Christian  conference  and  found  the  Master's  pres- 
ence with  us  as  we  have  talked  with  Christian 
friends  of  all  these  things  which  happened  so  long 
ago,  but  are  just  as  important  for  us  as  if  they  had 
just  transpired  ?  Then  if  with  hearts  burning  with 
desire  and  love  we  come  together,  to  commune  with 
each  other  and  with  Him,  He  will  meet  with  us  and 
make  our  hearts  glad. 

He  is  not  indeed  even  here  the  object  of  bodily 


202     THE  JOYFUL  HOURS  OF  JESUS 

vision  :  "  for  we  walk  by  faith  not  by  sight."  But 
if  we  listen  to  His  teachings  and  our  hearts  burn 
within  us  as  on  our  pilgrim  journey  He  opens  to  us 
the  Scriptures;  in  the  end  of  the  way  He  with 
whom  we  have  so  lovingly  walked  will  be  revealed. 
Our  eyes  shall  no  longer  be  holden.  We  shall  see 
the  king  in  His  beauty,  and  He  will  not  vanish 
from  our  sight.  "  As  for  me,  I  will  behold  thy 
face  in  righteousness.  I  shall  be  satisfied  when  I 
awake  with  thy  likeness  "  (Ps.  xvii :  15). 

Here  we  close  our  meditations  on  the  joyful 
hours  of  jesus.  Let  it  be  with  grateful  hearts 
that  we  recognize  His  deep-seated  happiness  in  His 
life-work,  and  even  in  His  death;  and  let  us  never 
forget  that  His  joy  was  the  joy  of  service  and  of 
sacrifice.  It  was  for  us  that  He  spent  these  joyful 
hours  upon  the  earth.  If  our  hearts  burn  within 
us  as  He  opens  to  us  the  Scriptures,  let  Him  lead 
us  to  a  like  surrender  to  the  will  of  God  and  to  like 
happiness  in  the  joy  of  the  Lord,  which  is  the 
strength  of  the  soul.  Let  us  see  new  significance 
in  the  words  addressed  to  the  servant  who  has  been 
faithful  over  a  few  things  and  has  thus  become 
qualified  to  understand  the  true  secret  of  a  happy 
life;  "  Enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 


HEARTS  AFLAME 


203 


Tis  evening  now ! 
O  Savior,  wilt  not  thou 
Enter  my  home  and  heart, 
Nor  ever  hence  depart, 
Even   when   the   morning 
And  earth  again  awakes 
Thou  wilt  abide  with  me, 
And  I  with  thee! 


breaks, 


The  world  is  old ! 

Its  air  grows  dull  and  cold; 

Upon  its  aged  face 

The  wrinkles  come  apace; 

Its  western  sky  is  wan, 

Its  youth  and  joy  are  gone, 

O  Master,  be  our  light, 

When  o'er  us  falls  the  night. 

Evil  is  round ! 
Iniquities  abound ; 
Our  cottage  will  be  lone, 
When  the  great  Sun  is  gone; 
O  Savior,  come  and  bless, 
Come,  share  our  loneliness, 
We  need  a  Comforter, 
Take  up  thy  dwelling  here. 


Bonar. 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


THE  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 


P.  WHITWELL  WILSON    ofthe  London  DaUy  News 

The  Christ  We  Forget 

A  Life  of  Our  Lord  for  Men  of  To-day.  8vo, 
cloth,  net  $1.50. 

A  book  with  scarcely  a  peer  in  contemporary  publishing. 
The  author,  an  English  University  man,  brilliant  journalist, 
and  sometime  member  of  Parliament,  writes  the  story  of  Jesus 
of  Nazareth  in  a  wonderfully  arresting  fashion.  His  book  is 
utterly  free  from  theological  terminology  or  conventional  view- 
point presenting  a  picture  of  Jesus  which  while  actually  new 
is  astonishingly  convincing. 

EDGAR  YOUNG  MULLINS,  £>.£>.  Pres. Southern  Baptist 

— — ^— — — — — — — — —  Theo 7 Setn., Louisville 

The  Life  in  Christ    Net  $1.25. 

"Dr.  Mullins  has  recognition  throughout  the  country  as  a 
great  teacher.  This  volume  shows  him  a  preacher  of  intel- 
lectual and  spiritual  power.  Excellent  models  for  the  grow- 
ing minister,  forcible,  intellectual,  spiritual." — Christian  Advo- 
cate. 

FRANCIS  E.   CLARK,  P.P.  President  United  Society 

— — — ^^— — — — — ^—  Christian  Endeavor 

Christ  and  the  Young  People 

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"A  study  of  the  Life  of  Jesus,  in  a  quite  unusual  vein. 
The  editor  has  seldom  during  his  life  been  so  helped  by 
the  printed  page.  It  is  indeed  a  remarkable  presentation  of 
the  life  of   Jesus,   sincere   and   impartial." — Zxon's  Herald. 

JAMES  M.  GRAY,  P.ZX  £>ean  Moody  Bible  Institute 

A  Picture  of  the  Resurrection 

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A  plain,  unadorned  examination  of  the  historical  fact  of 
Our  Lord  s  Resurrection,  of  its  indispensable  prominence  in 
the  faith  of  the  Christian  and  of  the  power  ita  acceptance 
exercises  in  buttressing  his  belief  in  a  physical  resurrection 
from  the  dead,  and  the  attainment  of  life  eternal. 

A.  T.  ROBERTSON,  M.A.,  P.P. 

The  Divinity  of  Christ  in  the  Gospel 

of  John       i2mo,  cloth,  net  $1.00. 

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not  a  full  commentary  on  the  Gospel,  but  an  effort  to  de- 
velop the  thesis  of  the  book  with  brevity  and  clearness,  so 
that  the  average  man  may  understand  the  book  better  as  a 
whole  in  detail." — Christian  Observer. 


ON  FAITH  AND  BELIEF 


HENRY  C.    MABIE,    D.D.  Author  of"  Method  of 

■•  Soul  Winning" 

The  Unshaken  Kingdom 

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Treats  of  the  fundamentals  of  the  Christian  faith,  against 
which  the  storms  of  time  beat  in  vain.  There  is  a  fine  mis- 
sionary spirit  running  through  the  hook,  which  finds  a  special 
expression  in  the  chapter  entitled  The  Ultimacy  of  Christian 
Missions. 

DAVID    BA1NES-GRIFFITHS 

When  Faiths  Flash  Out 

Essays  in  Spiritual  Replenishment.    Net  $1.00. 

"Thoroughly  health-giving,  evangelical  and  consequently 
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pression,  and  gives  us  many  helpful  illustrations." — Episcopal 
Recorder. 

ADOLPH  LEHMANN,  D.D. 

The  World  to  Come 

The  Progressive  Manifestation  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God  Among  Men.    i2mo,  cloth,  net  $1.25. 

Points  out  that  Christ's  Messianic  Kingdom,  when  com- 
pleted, will  be  followed  by  that  of  the  Father,  and  indicates 
what  the  Bible  teaches  concerning  this  Dispensation,  and  its 
place  in  the  development  of  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

DAVID  A.  MURRAY,   D.D.      Author  of  "Christian  Faith 

^——^^—^^—^—^—^—       and  the  New  Psychology" 

The  Supernatural :    or  Fellowship  with  God 
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mission  field.  It  will  prove  an  effective  weapon  against 
prevelant  naturalistic  Tendencies  in  Bible  interpretation  in  the 
homeland." — Christian   World. 

DAVID  J.  BURRELL,  D.D. 

Why  I  Believe  the  Bible 

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'  Does  anyone  knowing  the  author  doubt  his  ability  to  give 
in  clear,  concise  and  convincing  form  his  'reasons'  for  a 
definite  faith  in  the  Book  of  Books.  The  work  will  confirm 
faith,  cure  skepticism  and  convert  the  honest  enquirer. 


LIGHT  ON  THE   GREAT  WAR 

'  -  ■  II  -  .u.    . 

JAMES  A.  MACDONAI.D,  LL.  D.      Ed,t,r  Toronto  Gt.te 

The  North  American  Idea 

The  Cole  Lectures  for  1917.    i2mo,  cloth,  net  $1.25. 

The  famous  Canadian  editor  enjoys  an  established  and 
justly-earned  reputation.  In  trenchant  and  stirring-  phrase 
Dr.  McDonald  discusses  the  growth  and  development  of  that 
spirit  of  liberty,  just  government,  and  freedom  of  individuad 
action,  in  the  light  of  its  relation  to  the  Groat  World  War. 

EDWARD  LEIGH  PELL,  D.  D.         Auihtr of" Troublesome 

— — — — ^— — ^— ^— — —  Religions  Questions" 

What  Did  Jesus  ReallyTeach  AboutWar? 

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Pell's  opinion  what  America  is  suffering  from  just  now  is  not 
a  troubled  conscience  so  much  as  an  untroubled  conseience. 
That  is  why  this  book  does  not  stop  with  clearing  up  trouble- 
some questions, 

ARTHUR  J.  BROWN,  D.D    Author  of" Unity and  Missions" 

•  "The  Foreign  Missionary ,"  etv. 

Russia  in  Transformation 

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Years  may  pass  before  New  Russia  will  sottle  down  t» 
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pathy with  Russian  brethren,  if  we  study  the  conditions  lead- 
ing up  to  the  Revolution  and  mind  ourselves  of  fundamental 
characteristics  which  will  undoubtedly  affe«t  New  Russia  re- 
gardless of  the  immediate  outcome.     The  book  is  most  timely. 

R.   A.    TORREY,  D.D.         Supt.  Los  Angeles  Bible  Institute 

The  Voice  of  God  in  the  Present  Hour 

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perplexed  and  bewildered  by  the  war  conditions  existing  ia 
this  and  other  lands. 

JAMES  M.    GRAY,  D.D.  Dean  of  ike 

'  Moody  Bible  Institute,  Chisago 

Prophecy  and  the  Lord's  Return 

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What  is  the  purpose  of  God  in  connection  with  the  present 
international  cataclysm.  Does  prophecy  deal  with  the  world 
to-day.  The  author,  Dean  of  the  Moody  Bible  Institute,  of 
Chicago,  is_  well-known  as  a  Bible  student  and  expositor, 
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world.     Dr.  Grey's  chapters  have  unusual  interest  at  this  time. 


ESSAYS  AND  STUDIES 


CHARLES   L.   THOMPSON,   P.P.  President  of  Home 

——^———^^— ———'——  Mission  Council" 

The  Religious  Foundations  of  America 

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A  survey  of  the  religious  elements  which  from  various  Eu- 
ropean sources  went  to  the  making  of  America.  The  Refor- 
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life,  are  traced  to  their  original  Old  World  channels,  and  their 
oulminative  influence  in  the  New  World  measured  and  ap- 
praised. 

EPGAR   WHITAKER   WORK,    D.P.     Author "  The  Fasci- 
•  nation  of  the  Book" 

The  Bible  in  English  Literature 

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Dr.  Work  believes  that  English-€peaking  people  possess  the 
Bible  in  the  blood.  When  men  bare  their  spirits  to  God, 
ene  sees  the  naked  soul  of  humanity  in  the  creative  literature 
of  the  race.  A  volume  of  singular  freshness,  to  be  read  with 
delight  and  to  be  studied  with  profit. 

WILLIAM  JENNINGS  BRYAN 

Heart-to-Heart  Appeals 

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The  cream  of  Mr.  Bryan's  public  utterances,  selected  from 
the  principal  speeches  and  lectures  delivered  by  him  during 
his  eventful  and  picturesque  career.  The  topics  treated  of 
include  the  following:  Money;  Imperialism;  Labor;  Trusts; 
Income  Tax;  Peace;  Religion;  Pan-Americanism  etc.,  etc. 
A  New  Booklet  by  Mr,  Bryan. 

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GEORGE  McCREADY  PRICE        Professor  of  Chemistry  and 

— ^^— — — ^— — — — — —    Phystss.  Lodi  Academy,  Cat 

Q.  E.  D.,  or  New  Light  on  the 
Doctrines  of  Creation 

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The  author,  an  acknowledged  conservative,  lias  in  his  sev- 
eral former  volumes,  found  hearty  approval  and  cordial  en- 
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Bon,  and  many  others.  The  work  is  reverential  but  scientific, 
frankly  calling  in  question  many  recent  popular  hypotheses. 

RICHARP   L.    SWAIN 

The  Real  Key  to  Christian  Science 

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answerable conclusion  is  commended  both  to  converts  to,  and 
critics  of,  this  rapidly  growing  system  of  ethics.  The  work 
is  unique — unlike  any  previous  study  of  the  cult." 


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